ASIPP presentation follows publication of positive data from PP353 Phase 1b Modic Trial in The Lancet’s eClinicalMedicine
London, UK, 19 March 2026 - Persica Pharmaceuticals Limited (Persica), a clinical stage biotechnology company developing a transformative treatment for chronic Low Back Pain (cLBP), today announces that it has been selected to give an oral presentation at the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP) 2026 Annual Meeting, taking place from 19 March to 21 March, in New Orleans, USA.
Dr. Joshua Hirsch, Neurointerventionalist, Professor at Harvard Medical School, Board Member of ASIPP and medical advisor to Persica will be presenting PP353 data from the Company’s Phase 1b Modic Trial published in The Lancet’s eClinicalMedicine in February 2026. The data show that PP353 - Persica's targeted, non-opioid therapeutic approach - demonstrated clinically meaningful and statistically significant improvements in pain and disability in patients with cLBP and Modic type 1 changes.
The company will also present an e-poster which will be on display throughout the meeting and published in an upcoming issue of the Pain Physician journal.
Duncan McHale, Chief Medical Officer of Persica Pharmaceuticals, said: “ASIPP is a leading meeting for companies working in pain, and we’re proud that Persica’s abstract ranked in the top five and was selected for an oral presentation this year - an additional strong validation of our science. PP353 is an innovative approach that targets the underlying disease of chronic Low Back Pain rather than just the symptoms. We’re excited to share the progress we’re making towards our goal of delivering a novel treatment option for the millions suffering with this debilitating condition that causes severe disability, as well as putting a significant burden on healthcare systems.”
Dr. Joshua Hirsch, Neurointerventionalist, Professor at Harvard Medical School and Board Member of ASIPP, added: “Chronic low back pain remains difficult to treat and places a substantial burden on patients and healthcare systems worldwide. Many patients cycle through existing therapies with limited relief, underscoring the urgent need for new treatment approaches. A targeted, non-opioid therapy like PP353, that addresses the underlying cause of disease, has the potential to meaningfully improve how we treat this large patient population and I look forward to seeing PP353 advance into Phase 3 studies.”
Presentation details:
| Presentation Date and Time | Presentation Title |
| Friday March 20th, 12:00pm CT | PP353 Intradiscal Linezolid for Modic Type 1 cLBP: A Double‑Blinded, Sham‑Controlled Phase 1b Study |
To read the full paper: Intradiscal linezolid (PP353) treatment for chronic low back pain associated with Modic change type 1: an international, first-in-human, randomised, sham procedure-controlled, double-blind, phase 1b clinical trial
For further information:
ICR Healthcare - Tracy Cheung, Chris Welsh, Emily Johnson
persica@icrhealthcare.com
About Persica Pharmaceuticals
Persica Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing PP353, a groundbreaking and transformative treatment for chronic Low Back Pain (cLBP) with Modic type 1 changes. Modic changes are a sign of inflammation, visible on Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans at the vertebral endplate adjacent to a degenerate lumbar disc, and which can extend into the body of the vertebrae. PP353 is a patented, targeted intradiscal antibiotic injection that is delivered directly to the site of infection. It is a non-opioid treatment which addresses an underlying cause of cLBP, rather than just the symptoms, and removes the need for extended duration of antibiotic treatment.
About PP353
PP353 (intradiscal linezolid) is a suspension of linezolid powder in a thermosensitive vehicle, which is liquid at room temperature but increases in viscosity when injected into the site of infection and warmed to body temperature. This increase in viscosity prevents PP353 from leaking out of the degenerate disc into adjacent tissues during injection. PP353 also contains a radio-opaque dye, which allows the physician to use image guidance to make sure the gel is positioned correctly in the target disc on injection.
About chronic Low Back Pain with Modic Type 1 changes
Chronic Low Back Pain (> 6 months) with Modic Type 1 changes is a common patient subgroup. These patients are readily identifiable on MRI and typically suffer from moderate to severe persistent pain and disability with limited relief from the current standard of care - physiotherapy and analgesia including opioids - with a prevalence of four million patients in the US, EU and Japan. Current treatment options provide only limited short-term relief or involve invasive, irreversible nerve ablation, which does not address the underlying cause of pathology, i.e., a suspected disc infection.
