OncoZenge is developing a lozenge that will help millions of people with their oral pain. Our primary indication is oral mucositis, a painful side effect from radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
Targeted pain relief with BupiZenge™
BupiZenge™ is a lozenge crafted to provide local pain relief for patients suffering from Oral Mucositis. Our product alleviates that pain through targeted pain relief.
Solving a large unmet medical need
There is a large unmet medical need for local, safe, and effective pain relief for patients suffering from oral mucositis, as well as other oral pain conditions not well served today.
Based on a safe and effective substance
Bupizenge is built on the well known and researched active substance bupivacaine. Studies has shown that the use of bupivacaine in a lozenge gives significant pain relief within minutes and it lasts for hours.
Significant quality of life improvement
By using BupiZenge™, patients are able to eat and drink painlessly, they can limit or stop their use of addictive opioids and avoid hospitalizations in the more severe cases of Oral Mucositis.
BupiZenge™
halves the pain
50%
Reduction in mouth pain compared to current treatment*
83%
Prescribing physicians prefer BupiZenge™ **
During a 7 day Clinical Trial*
One step away from going to market
BupiZenge™ has progressed through phase 1 and 2 and have received clear regulatory guidance from European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Planning is now ongoing for phase 3 with a goal to reach approval in several markets as soon as possible.
Oral
mucositis
Oral mucositis is a painful side effect from radiotherapy and chemotherapy. In som cancers nearly all patients develop oral mucositis. Different cancer types and chemotherapy treatments result in different severities 1-4 on WHO’s toxicity scale.
Dr Pooja Nandwani Patel, Head of Department of Radiation Oncology, Sterling Cancer Hospital
Radiotherapy and chemotherapy act independently in determining acute mucosal toxicity and concurrent RT-CT increases the mucositis grades and incidence almost 4 times more. Mucositis affects outcomes in many ways – increases workload with admissions, treatment delays with incomplete treatments, sometimes requiring replannings thereby increasing costs directly or indirectly & affecting outcomes as well. Till date there are no clear guidelines for prevention of oral mucositis with CT+RT. Constant oral rinsing & salivary substitutes, proper nutrition and supportive care, taking care of infection and good use of opioid analgesics and steroids especially in the last two weeks is the key to phase off the menace from so called and mostly ignored symptom – mucositis. Oral Care Protocols should be strictly implemented with the institutional guidelines set by the multidisciplinary team
Stephen T. Sonis, DMD. DMSc , Professor of Oral Medicine, Harvard
Oral mucositis remains a devastatingly painful complication for many patients being treated with anti-cancer cytotoxic chemo- or radiotherapy. Aside from its symptomatic toll, poorly controlled pain negatively impacts patients’ ability to tolerate optimal cancer treatment, as well as compromising nutrition and adding to the cost of care. The Phase 2 clinical trial results reported by OncoZenge suggest that a novel topical formulation of bupivacaine might offer a safe and effective, non-opioid alternative to mitigating mucositis-associated pain. I look forward to collaborating with OncoZenge to confirm their findings and make this technology a treatment option available to all those patients who need it.
Global
opportunity
There is a large, global unmet medical need for relieving oral pain stemming from oral mucositis. Every year more than 18 million people are diagnosed with cancer. Due to an aging population and life style this is growing every year.
18
million
people are diagnosed with cancer every year
$530M
OncoZenge estimates that the commercial opportunity is $530M dollars in North America
$270M
OncoZenge estimates that the commercial opportunity is $270M dollars in Europe
$370M
OncoZenge estimates that the commercial opportunity is $370M dollars in the rest of the world
No
treatment alternatives
There are no therapeutic treatments for oral mucositis today and several attempts has failed. In these cases patients are left without any pain relief, ineffective pain relief or opioids. BupiZenge™ has the potential to be the only safe and effective local pain relief for oral pain.
United States faced more than 80,000 drug overdose deaths and 50,000 opioid overdose deaths in 2024.
Potential to become the leading treatment for oral pain
Oral Mucositis
Mouth and throat surgery e.g. tonsillectomy
Dental applications
Endoscopy
Chronic pain (Burning Mouth Syndrome)
Dry mouth (Sjögren’s Syndrome)
Oral ulcerations (Behcet’s disease)
Oral inflammation (Oral Lichen planus)