Neurotech International Ltd - Targeting Treatment for Autism Spectrum Disorder

Business model

Neurotech is seeking to develop its proprietary cannabis strain, NTI164, as a neurological application for the treatment of ASD in children. The company licenses NTI164 from Dolce Cann Global Ltd. The company has now completed its Phase I/II study, which was conducted by Professor Michael Fahey, the head of Paediatric Neurology at Monash Children’s Hospital in Melbourne. The study found that 93% of patients (14 candidates in the study) showed symptom improvement relating to the severity of the illness after 28 days of daily treatment of NTI164. This included 64% of patients with “much improved” symptoms, 29% with “minimally improved” symptoms and 7% with no change. The study also found that NTI164 was well tolerated across all doses and was granted HREC approval to continue for a further 54 weeks due to its positive therapeutic effects. NTI is now in discussions with the US Food and Drug Administration regarding a pre-Investigational New Drug application which it hopes to finalise by the end of this calendar year. Neurotech has also reported positive preclinical research which shows that NTI164 can improve Diclofenac (an anti-inflammatory drug used in the treatment of rheumatoid and osteoarthritis) efficacy at low doses. This potentially adds to NTI’s preclinical portfolio from a combination therapy perspective.

Next steps include the outcome of Phase II/III studies

The next steps for NTI are to initiate its Phase II/III trial to further assess the long-term safety and efficacy of NTI164 in the treatment of ASD with the potential to lead to drug registration. The company also has ambitions to extend NTI164 to potential treatment pathways for other neurological disorders including ADHD and Cerebral Palsy.

Counting medicinal cannabis and paediatric pharma as peers

We look to other medicinal cannabis companies such as Little Green Pharma (ASX:LDP), Emyria (ASX:EMD) and Cann Group (ASX:CAN) as peers for Neurotech being of similar size in market capitalisation and seeking to develop medicinal cannabis products. Neuren Pharmaceuticals (ASX:NEU) could also be counted as a peer given it is targeting paediatric neurological disorders with its drug therapies, although it should be noted that it is at a more advanced stage. Incannex (ASX:IHL) could also be considered a peer given its focus on combination therapies with off-patent pharmaceutical drugs and cannabinoids.