Maipl Therapeutics, a New York-based biotech, has reported preclinical progress for MA-4604, a novel oral non-hormonal therapy for endometriosis that works by selectively blocking the prostaglandin F2α receptor (FP) – a pathway involved in uterine contractions, menstrual pain, and fibrotic signaling associated with lesion growth.
The approach is differentiated from both existing hormonal therapies (which suppress estrogen and carry significant side effects) and NSAIDs (which broadly suppress prostaglandins). MA-4604 targets the FP receptor specifically and downstream in the prostaglandin pathway, aiming to reduce dysmenorrhea and lesion-associated pathology without altering hormone levels or causing the broader suppression associated with non-selective anti-inflammatories.
In preclinical studies, MA-4604 has demonstrated efficacy across multiple translational models: reducing uterine contractility in a rat intrauterine pressure model, showing significant activity in acute pain models, and demonstrating potential disease-modifying activity in a mouse model of endometriosis.
MA-4604 is in-licensed from Ferring Pharmaceuticals and is currently advancing through IND-enabling studies, with Maipl targeting first-in-human clinical studies in 2027.
