News – AKL Therapeutics

Dr. Nicholas Larkins BVSc DSc MRCVS

It is with a heavy heart that we share some sad news. On 29th January 2026, Nick Larkins, founder and Chief Research Officer at AKL Research and Development passed away peacefully in his sleep following a short illness. Nick’s lifetime of research into plant-derived compounds was the driving force behind the formation of AKL. It […]

Senotherapeutic Effects of APPA on Senescent Human Chondrocytes

A peer reviewed paper on a study analyzing the Senotherapeutic Effects of APPA on Senescent Human Chondrocytes has been published in the Pharmaceuticals Journal. This study suggests that APPA exerts senotherapeutic effects on human senescent chondrocytes. The paper was authored by Fernández-Moreno, M.; Hermida-Gómez, T.; Vaamonde-Garcia, C.; Paniagua-Barro, S.; Larkins, N.; Reynolds, A.; Blanco, F.J. […]

APPA Phase 2b Clinical Trial on Schedule

A 225 patient Phase 2b clinical trial commenced in July 2024 in multiple centres in Denmark and in Hong Kong. The trial is focused on patients with more severe OA, which aligns with patients who reported significant reduction in pain in the Phase 2a trial. As of the end of March 2025, the trial is […]

Anti-Inflammatory Activity of APPA in Human Chondrocytes

A peer reviewed paper on a study analyzing the capacity of APPA to modulate the inflammatory response induced by IL-1β in human articular chondrocytes and cartilage has been published in the Pharmaceuticals Journal. The paper was authored by Mercedes Fernández-Moreno, Tamara Hermida-Gómez, Nicholas Larkins, Alan Reynolds and Francisco Blanco. Pharmaceuticals 2024, 17(1), 118; https://doi.org/10.3390/ph17010118. Full text of the […]

APPA Phase 2a results published in Osteoarthritis & Cartilage

The leading international journal in this field, Osteoarthritis & Cartilage, has published the paper “The efficacy and safety of a fixed-dose combination of apocynin and paeonol, APPA, in symptomatic knee OA: A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, clinical trial”. Asger Reinstrup Bihlet, Inger Byrjalsen, Jeppe Ragnar Andersen, Alan Reynolds, Nicholas Larkins, Peter Alexandersen, Helene Rovsing, Robert Moots […]

APPA Shows Promise in Age Related Diseases

New data presented at the 2023 Osteoarthritis Research Society International (OARSI) World Congress in Denver, Colorado (March 17th-20th) suggests that AKL Therapeutics’ investigational oral osteoarthritis (OA) drug APPA may have a dual effect on senescence – a process in which cells stop dividing as a natural consequence of ageing. Senescence plays a major role in the development of many […]