Santiago de Compostela, February 2025 – Oncostellae S.L., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative therapies for immune-mediated and other diseases, announced that it has received the European Commission Seal of Excellence for its project “Overcoming severe toxicities in the treatment of IBD with non-systemic OST-122.” The project was submitted to the European Innovation Council (EIC) Accelerator funding program and was recognized as a high-quality proposal following the evaluation process.
OST-122 is an investigational, orally administered, non-systemic JAK inhibitor being developed as a potential treatment for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including ulcerative colitis (UC). Designed to act locally in the gastrointestinal tract while minimizing systemic exposure, OST-122 aims to address an important limitation of currently available JAK inhibitors, whose systemic exposure can be associated with serious safety concerns.
OST-122 has completed a Phase 2a proof-of-concept study in patients with ulcerative colitis, demonstrating clinical activity and a favorable safety and tolerability profile. The company is advancing OST-122 toward a Phase 2b clinical trial in UC.
Guido Kurz, PhD, CEO of Oncostellae, said: “We are very pleased to receive the European Commission Seal of Excellence for our OST-122 program. This recognition confirms the quality of our scientific and development strategy and the potential of a non-systemic approach to address the safety limitations associated with current JAK inhibitor therapies. We are committed to advancing OST-122 into Phase 2b development and ultimately bringing a safer and effective treatment option to patients with inflammatory bowel disease.”
About Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a group of chronic inflammatory disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, primarily comprising ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. IBD affects millions of people worldwide and is characterized by periods of active disease and remission. Patients can experience abdominal pain, diarrhea, rectal bleeding, fatigue and other debilitating symptoms.
Despite significant advances in treatment, many patients do not achieve or maintain remission, and long-term treatment can be associated with safety and tolerability challenges. There remains a significant need for effective therapies that combine strong anti-inflammatory activity with improved safety profiles.
About Oncostellae
Oncostellae is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company based in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, focused on the discovery and development of innovative small-molecule therapies for diseases with significant unmet medical needs. The company combines expertise in medicinal chemistry, drug discovery and clinical development to advance differentiated therapeutic candidates toward clinical proof of concept and strategic partnerships. Its lead program, OST-122, is being developed for inflammatory bowel disease, while its pipeline also includes programs in women’s health and fibrosis.
