Comprised of all the nerves in the body outside of the brain and spinal cord, the peripheral nervous system has two vital functions: it feeds sensory information to the brain, and it carries signals from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles. Moving through and experiencing the world requires the healthy functioning of this system. The peripheral nervous system connects your brain to voluntarily and involuntarily control, regulate, and monitor your body functions and processes down to the cellular level.
Peripheral neuropathy (PN), which refers to the process of peripheral nerve damage and degeneration, leads to disruption of the normal process of transmitting nerve impulses to and from the brain. This can result in a whole range of often unpredictable symptoms from loss of sensation, pins and needles, and pain, to cramps, muscle weakness, and paralysis. There may also be loss of control of other bodily functions, producing excessive or absent sweating, blood pressure changes, and incontinence. Peripheral neuropathy is the underlying cause of 85% of all major amputations performed in the US.
Peripheral neuropathy arises from a variety of factors, including aging. It is accelerated by toxic factors such as diabetes, infectious diseases, and cancers, as well as a complication for many of the treatments commonly used for these diseases. Peripheral neuropathy affects 190 million people around the globe. It is much more common than currently appreciated, especially among the global aging population. As people age, their peripheral nervous system naturally degenerates, making them more susceptible to nerve damage and peripheral neuropathy. Studies estimate that between 26% and 39.2% of individuals aged 65 and older may be affected by peripheral neuropathy, which represents the fastest-growing age population in the next 50 years. Unfortunately, patients with the debilitating disease do not have many options for treatment outside of symptomatic pain management.
WinSanTor is one of the few biopharma companies specializing in peripheral neuropathy. WinSanTor answers the demand for a regenerative treatment with WST-057, now in Phase III of clinical trials, a medication that targets the root cause of the problem and seeks to deliver a transformative improvement in the lives of neuropathy patients through an accessible, safe and impactful medication.
WinSanTor had an unconventional start as a company. When the US and Canadian governments realized the scale of suffering that peripheral neuropathy inflicted, a team of leading scientists were assembled to discover the answer to this soon-to-be epidemic. These scientists who have already developed groundbreaking research and medicine in their fields, along with CEO Stanley Kim, an experienced entrepreneur of innovative technologies, to form an organization that is utterly dedicated to improving patients’ quality of life.
As it prepares for WST-057’s final phase, WinSanTor is fast approaching its legacy as the first regenerative treatment for peripheral neuropathy. It is an assessment that is difficult to understate due to the severe impact of this disease. The 40 million Americans currently suffering from peripheral neuropathy find that their quality of life is dramatically lowered. Due to chronic pain that pierces every aspect of their life and a loss of control over bodily functions, peripheral neuropathy often results in a loss of independence and weakened relationships. A restorative treatment for peripheral neuropathy means far more than pain management; it means the restoration of patient autonomy.
WST-057 is a topical medication that locally halts and reverses nerve damage by enhancing mitochondrial function and providing nerve fibers of the skin with the energy required to regrow nerve cells, thereby reversing the nerve degeneration that is the hallmark of peripheral neuropathy. So far, WinSanTor has demonstrated unparalleled success in clinical trials. Their Phase II trial, which tests safety, tolerability, and efficacy, reported a p-value of 0.001 for nerve regeneration, indicating high confidence that the effects were not by chance. Boosted by this success, WST-057 is now moving to Phase III clinical trials, which involves testing the efficacy of WST-057 in many hundreds of volunteers with neuropathy. Once the medication is FDA-approved, it will be the first ever to regenerate nerve cells.
CEO Stanley Kim states, “Our goal is to change the standards of the pharmaceutical industry, from one of profit margins to one of patient care. Instead of maximizing potential margins, we are fully focused on the needs of patients suffering the terrible consequences of peripheral neuropathy. We started with an active ingredient that has historically proven to be safe when ingested and have repurposed it in a way that is considered safer. Taking something old and making it do something amazing and innovative is something that is surprisingly not common in the current pharmaceutical industry with its obsession with profit margins and copycat me-too drugs. And that is our only goal, to create a drug that impacts patients’ lives for the better.”
Now calling for participants for the final phase of clinical trials for WST-057, the drug demonstrates WinSanTor’s defining principles of affordability, accountability, and efficacy. Pioneering a sea change with science-oriented patient care, the team is excited to bring about impactful change in patient lives, reverse the pain and isolation of peripheral neuropathy, and become the model for the future of the pharmaceutical industry.
