ESSA is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on developing novel therapies for the treatment of prostate cancer.  ESSA’s lead clinical candidate, masofaniten (formerly EPI-7386), represents a new approach to disrupting the androgen receptor signaling pathway, the primary driver of prostate cancer growth.

ESSA’s investigational therapies are designed to disrupt the androgen receptor (AR) signaling pathway, the primary pathway that drives prostate cancer growth, and prevent AR activation through selective binding to the N-terminal domain, a region of the AR that is not currently targeted by other therapies.

Prostate cancer is the second most frequently diagnosed cancer among men in the United States. Currently, standard prostate cancer treatment often includes the administration of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) and antiandrogen therapies, all of which target the ligand biding domain of the AR.  ESSA is developing the novel therapy masofaniten to complement these advancements by targeting the opposite end of the androgen receptor, the N-terminal domain.

Essa is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on developing novel and proprietary therapies for the treatment of prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer is predominantly driven by the androgen receptor (AR). The current standard of care antiandrogen therapies target one end of the receptor (the ligand binding domain), which can eventually lead to treatment resistance. Our lead candidate, masofaniten (formerly EPI-7386), is a highly selective, oral, small molecule that inhibits the N-terminal domain of the AR, which is located on the opposite end of the receptor and is not targeted by any antiandrogen therapy.

Masofaniten is in development in combination with antiandrogen treatments in patients with prostate cancer who are earlier in their course of the disease. Through deeper and broader inhibition of androgen-induced biology, combination therapy may provide additional benefit to prostate cancer patients than current antiandrogen therapy.

Essa is comprised of experienced management and scientific teams with deep drug development expertise along with a global network of scientists and clinical investigators.