Nuformix PLC (LSE:NFX) shares were trading at 0.17p, up 19.16% in early London trading after the pharmaceutical development group announced positive findings from an inhaled pharmacokinetic and target engagement study for its lead programme, NXP002.
NXP002 is being developed as a potential novel inhaled therapy for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and other progressive fibrosing interstitial lung diseases.
The company initiated the preclinical programme following a share placing announced in March 2026 to generate supportive data and address partner queries.
The latest study confirmed the ability to formulate and successfully nebulise the drug across a broad concentration and inhaled dose range.
Testing demonstrated substantial, dose-related pulmonary exposure across the full inhaled dose range evaluated during the study.
Local lung concentrations reached levels expected to deliver pharmacological activity based on earlier diseased human lung tissue models.
The study generated pulmonary and systemic exposure data that support therapeutic dose modelling for chronic inhaled administration.
Nuformix confirmed that the observed lung exposure levels are expected to support future pivotal investigational new drug enabling studies.
The trial also demonstrated the attenuation of alpha-smooth muscle actin expression across all evaluated dose levels.
Alpha-smooth muscle actin is an established biomarker linked to activated myofibroblasts and fibrotic lung phenotypes.
The company considers these biological results to provide meaningful surrogate evidence of target pathway engagement following inhaled administration.
These findings create a critical link between laboratory activity in diseased human tissue, live inhalation exposure, and biological disease engagement.
The resulting exposure profile supports achieving pharmacologically active concentrations in the lungs while limiting systemic exposure across the body.
Limiting broader systemic exposure remains an essential safety consideration for any long-term chronic inhaled medical treatment.
The new data will support subsequent preclinical progression, including upcoming non-GLP dose-range-finding studies.
Nuformix plans to present these findings at the European Respiratory Society Congress in Barcelona in September 2026 to advance ongoing licensing discussions.
Executive director Dan Gooding said the results significantly improve the company's understanding of how inhaled doses translate into targeted biological activity.
Gooding noted that the combined data provide a significantly stronger basis to define the therapeutic safety window for prospective commercial partners.
