Arena Gets USAN Approval Of Nonproprietary Name 'Etrasimod' For Its Drug Candidate APD334

Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ARNA revealed Monday that the United States Adopted Names (USAN) Council has approved the nonproprietary name etrasimod for APD334, a selective oral, investigational, Sphingosine 1-Phosphate Subtype 1 (S1P1) receptor modulator with therapeutic potential in autoimmune diseases. The company indicated it's currently studying etrasimod in a Phase 2 clinical trial for ulcerative colitis.

Arena's President and CEO, Amit Munshi, said, "Given the limitations of currently available treatments for ulcerative colitis, including challenging effect profiles, we believe etrasimod has the potential to become the standard of care. We look forward to the results of our Phase 2 clinical trial of this promising compound."

That company stated Etrasimod was a potent and highly selective, orally available investigational drug candidate targeting the S1P1 receptor. The company added that S1P1 receptors have demonstrated to be involved in the modulation of several biological responses. That included lymphocyte trafficking from lymph nodes to the peripheral blood. By isolating subpopulations of lymphocytes in lymph nodes, fewer immune cells were available in the circulating blood to effect tissue damage.

Shares of the company traded 3.40 percent down on Friday.