Persica Pharmaceutical's PP353 Phase 1b Data Selected for Oral Presentation at ASIPP 2026 Annual Meeting

Positive data from PP353 Phase 1b Modic Trial to be presented at leading pain medicine conference.

Mar. 19, 2026 at 7:04am

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Persica Pharmaceuticals, a clinical-stage biotech company, announced that its PP353 Phase 1b data has been selected for an oral presentation at the American Society of Interventional Pain Physicians (ASIPP) 2026 Annual Meeting in New Orleans. The data, which was recently published in The Lancet's eClinicalMedicine, showed that PP353, a targeted, non-opioid therapeutic approach, demonstrated clinically meaningful and statistically significant improvements in pain and disability in patients with chronic low back pain and Modic type 1 changes.

Why it matters

Chronic low back pain remains a major public health challenge, with limited treatment options that often provide only short-term relief. PP353's novel mechanism of action, which targets the underlying cause of disease rather than just symptoms, has the potential to transform how this debilitating condition is managed.

The details

PP353 is a patented, targeted intradiscal antibiotic injection that is delivered directly to the site of infection in the vertebral endplate adjacent to a degenerate lumbar disc. It is a non-opioid treatment that addresses the suspected disc infection causing Modic type 1 changes, which are visible on MRI scans and associated with chronic low back pain.

  • The ASIPP 2026 Annual Meeting will take place from March 19 to 21 in New Orleans.
  • Persica's PP353 Phase 1b Modic Trial data was published in The Lancet's eClinicalMedicine in February 2026.

The players

Persica Pharmaceuticals

A clinical-stage biotechnology company developing PP353, a transformative treatment for chronic low back pain.

Dr. Joshua Hirsch

A neurointerventionalist, Professor at Harvard Medical School, Board Member of ASIPP, and medical advisor to Persica.

Duncan McHale

The Chief Medical Officer of Persica Pharmaceuticals.

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What they’re saying

“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.”

— Duncan McHale, Chief Medical Officer of Persica Pharmaceuticals

“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.”

— Dr. Joshua Hirsch, Neurointerventionalist, Professor at Harvard Medical School and Board Member of ASIPP

What’s next

Persica Pharmaceuticals plans to advance PP353 into Phase 3 clinical studies following the positive results from the Phase 1b Modic Trial.

The takeaway

PP353's novel mechanism of action, which targets the underlying cause of chronic low back pain rather than just the symptoms, represents a promising new approach to addressing this debilitating condition that affects millions of patients worldwide.