The ASX 200 Health Index (XHJ) is up by 0.80% at the time of writing, compared to the broader index which is higher by 0.7%.

Notices from both the Australian and European Patent Offices have been received by Noxopharm (ASX:NOX), relating to patent claims covering the use of idronoxil, the active ingredient in NOX’s lead drug Veyonda as a chemo-enhancing drug.

The patent relates to the use of Veyonda to allow dosages of chemotherapy to be lowered to safer levels, without compromising their anti-cancer effectiveness.

Noxopharm said it’s confident the combination of  idronoxil and chemo can deliver an even stronger anti-cancer response at the same time as offering safer benefits.

Pre-clinically, idronoxil has been demonstrated to increase the cancer-killing effect of all common chemotherapies up to magnitudes exceeding 1000 times.

Veyonda is Noxopharm’s first pipeline drug candidate currently in Phase 2 clinical trialling.

“The development of side-effects leads to drug dosages being lowered or stopped altogether,” explained Noxopharm CEO, Graham Kelly.

“Other patients either are too ill or too elderly, or just unwilling to even start chemotherapy. That is the gap that we see Veyonda filling by allowing the patient to still gain the benefit of the chemotherapy but at dosages that are much better tolerated.”

 

Noxopharm share price today:

 

 

Other ASX health stocks with notable announcements

Rhythm Biosciences (ASX:RHY) +11%

The RHY shares were up by 11% this morning, after the company shared an investors’ presentation deck which highlighted the imminent commercialisation of ColoSTAT, a technology that could detect the presence of protein markers in patients with colorectal cancer.

Tests have demonstrated a 33% higher accuracy than the current standard Faecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) used.

The company will soon make a submission to the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), and is on track to receive the European CE mark by the end of the year.

Creso Pharma (ASX:CPH) +11%

The cannabis company is making further inroads into the North American market after signing an agreement to acquire the assets of Canadian-based life sciences company, ImpACTIVE Holdings.

Under the deal, CPH will acquire ImpACTIVE’s assets including CBD-based products that provide anti-inflammatory relief to professional and amateur athletes suffering from chronic muscle and joint pain, as well as joint and limb recovery.

The acquisition will be paid initially in C$200,000 worth of Creso shares, with another 6 million shares to be paid based on performance targets.

Recce Pharmaceuticals (ASX:RCE) +2.7%

The company has received a Human Research Ethics Committee approval to start its Phase I intravenous clinical trial, which will evaluate the safety and pharmacokinetics of its lead compound, R327.

The trial will study R327 in healthy male subjects, with the first patient dosing on track for December at Adelaide’s CMAX clinical trial facility.

Earlier, the US FDA has awarded R327 with a Qualified Infectious Disease Product designation, effectively labelling it for Fast Track Designation plus 10 years of market exclusivity post-approval.

Universal Biosensors (ASX:UBI) +0.7%

The company has signed a non-exclusive deal with US-based Vinmetrica, for the distribution of its wine testing platform device, Sentia, to wineries in the US and Mexico.

Around $1m of the Sentia devices and strips have been sold so far, with the company saying that it’s well positioned to deliver sales growth during 2022.

The Sentia Wine Analyzer is a handheld, portable testing device which allows an easy way for winery staff to determine the amount of free sulfur dioxide in red and white wine samples.

Japara Healthcare (ASX:JHC) +0.15%

The company announced that the Federal Court of Australia has approved the acquisition of Japara by a non-profit organisation, Little Company of Mary Health Care, know also as Calvary.

This marks the end of a six-month journey for Japara after receiving a $1.04 a share offer valuing it at $278 million back in April.

JHC has requested a trading halt, and was last traded at $1.40 a share.

 

Share prices today:

 

At Stockhead we tell it like it is. While Creso Pharma is a Stockhead advertiser, it did not sponsor this article.

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