April 20, 2026
J-Pharma Co., Ltd.
J-Pharma Co., Ltd. (the “Company”) hereby announces that information on its U.S. Phase I clinical trial of JPH034, which is being developed for multiple sclerosis, has been registered and made publicly available on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. clinical trial database. This Phase I clinical trial will evaluate the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of JPH034.
・ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT07534657
・Study details: https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT07534657
This milestone represents progress in a development program being advanced as part of the Company’s efforts to expand its pipeline in the central nervous system field.
The Company is advancing the research and development of JPH034 as one of its key pipeline candidates, following nanvuranlat, its lead development compound. Like nanvuranlat, JPH034 is being developed as a LAT1 inhibitor; however, unlike nanvuranlat, nonclinical studies in monkeys have confirmed that JPH034 shows high brain penetration. Leveraging this characteristic, the Company plans to advance clinical development targeting central nervous system diseases such as multiple sclerosis.
The Company positions JPH034 as one of its future growth drivers and will continue to maximize its global development and business opportunities.
Multiple sclerosis is more prevalent in Western countries and is known to occur more frequently in young women. For this reason, the Phase I clinical trial of JPH034 is being conducted in the United States to generate data on safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics, and the Company aims to advance the program to Phase II and subsequent clinical trials in Western countries, while also seeking opportunities for licensing agreements with pharmaceutical companies that possess expertise in the central nervous system field.
We will continue to steadily advance our clinical development efforts with the aim of creating new treatment options in the field of neurological diseases.
Background
About Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is a chronic inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system that most commonly affects young adults and is designated as an intractable disease by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. The average age at diagnosis is approximately 32 years. More than 60,000 people worldwide are newly diagnosed each year, and the total number of patients is estimated to be approximately 2.9 million globally. About 85% of patients initially present with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, which progresses through repeated relapses and remissions and transitions to secondary progressive multiple sclerosis after 10 to 15 years.
About JPH034
JPH034 has been supported by its selection for the Fast Forward Research Grant from the U.S. National Multiple Sclerosis Society, which is widely recognized for its highly competitive and rigorous evaluation standards, with funding of USD 600,000. In addition, JPH034 was selected for the Drug Discovery Venture Ecosystem Program of the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED) (research project title: “A Novel LAT1 Inhibitor for Multiple Sclerosis”), under which its development has been advanced.
About J-Pharma Co., Ltd.
J-Pharma Co., Ltd. aims to pursue new possibilities for SLC transporters and contribute to the hope and health of people worldwide through the development of innovative new drugs that address unmet medical needs. Under this mission, the Company has focused on LAT1 (L-type amino acid transporter 1), one of the SLC transporters discovered by the Company’s founder, and is advancing the development of LAT1 inhibitors to address the needs of patients with cancer and autoimmune diseases, where existing drugs are insufficient. For more information, please visit:
https://www.j-pharma.com/en/
Inquiries:
J-Pharma Co., Ltd.
Planning Department
TEL: +81-3-6432-4270
https://www.j-pharma.com/en/contact