Qnovia Inc., a Richmond startup focused on smoking cessation technology, said Wednesday it received positive results from its first human trials for its inhaled therapy to get people to stop smoking.
Its lead asset, called QN-01, is designed to address the shortcomings of existing nicotine replacement therapies. Other therapies generally lack the rapid onset and peak levels of nicotine delivery to effectively alleviate cravings and withdrawal symptoms, Qnovia said. The company said QN-01 showed superior pharmacokinetics — or how the body affected the drug — to existing inhaled treatments across three different dosing regimens analyzed in the trial.
“We believe our nicotine delivery platform has the potential to solve this complex pharmacokinetic puzzle and could be a game changer in alleviating cravings and withdrawal symptoms for those smokers who need it most,” CEO Brian Quigley said in a statement. “We are delighted to share that QN-01 demonstrated a superior pharmacokinetic profile compared to an existing inhaled [nicotine replacement therapies] and was well tolerated.”
QN-01 is currently being evaluated for regulatory approvals in the U.S. and U.K. The therapy is delivered through RespiRx, the company’s hand-held aerosol medical device that delivers drugs quickly. If it gets to market, QN-01 would be the first truly inhalable nicotine replacement therapy with the potential to be a breakthrough in the treatment for smokers who want to quit but can’t, Quigley said in his statement.
Qnovia recently entered a drug-development partnership with the University of Virginia to advance new inhaled-drug candidates for treating bacterial infections of the lungs and other ailments.
The company announced a $17 million equity round in August 2022 and it recently raised an additional $2.9 million. Quigley told us in August the round was larger than indicated in public documents.
Health care executive Mario Danek founded Qnovia in 2018. In 2020, Quigley, the former CEO of Altria Group’s smokeless division, joined the company as chief operating officer. He was named CEO in 2022, and Danek moved to chief technology officer. Quigley moved the company's base of operations from California to the Richmond area.
