Curanex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Expands Pipeline to Target Cancer Cachexia, Addressing Major Oncology Supportive-Care Gap

07 April 2026 | Tuesday | News

With no approved U.S. treatments for cancer cachexia, the company broadens its strategic focus beyond core indications, positioning for long-term growth in a high unmet-need, multi-billion-dollar market.

Company expands strategic focus into one of oncology’s 
most urgent supportive-care challenges

Curanex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: CURX) (“Curanex” or the “Company”), a development-stage therapeutics company, today announced that it is expanding its drug development pipeline that encompassed six core indications: ulcerative colitis, atopic dermatitis, COVID-19, diabetes, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (“NAFLD”), and gout, by focusing on a new core indication: cancer cachexia, a serious cancer-associated wasting syndrome marked by progressive weight loss, muscle depletion, weakness and declining physical function.

Cancer cachexia is widely recognized as one of the most serious complications in oncology and is estimated by the National Cancer Institute to occur in up to 80% of patients with advanced cancer, depending on cancer type and response to treatment. The syndrome can severely reduce strength, impair quality of life and limit a patient’s ability to tolerate therapy. Despite its significant clinical burden, there are currently no approved therapies for cancer cachexia in the United States.

Curanex believes the combination of major unmet need, limited treatment options and growing clinical recognition supports a significant long-term commercial opportunity in cancer cachexia. According to Grand View Research, the global cancer cachexia market was approximately $2.54 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow to $3.90 billion by 2033.

Curanex’s lead program, Phyto-N, is currently advancing through preclinical studies in preparation for a planned Investigational New Drug (IND) submission for ulcerative colitis. As it advances that program, the Company is also evaluating additional development opportunities in serious diseases involving inflammation, metabolic dysfunction and physical decline.

Curanex Chief Executive Officer, Jun Liu, said “Cancer cachexia remains one of the largest unmet needs in supportive oncology, with serious consequences for patients and very limited treatment options. We believe this area represents a meaningful opportunity for focused drug development and an important step in the evolution of Curanex into a broader therapeutics development company.”

Curanex management believes that the focus on treatment of cancer cachexia aligns with the Company’s broader focus on treatment of serious diseases involving inflammation, metabolic disruption and physical decline. While Curanex remains committed to advancing its lead ulcerative colitis program, the Company believes that by expanding its long-term pipeline potential by also focusing on cancer cachexia treatment, the Company will strengthen its positioning as an emerging therapeutics company.

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