AFT Pharmaceuticals Limited announced that it has entered into a partnership with one of its research and development partners, Belgium's Hyloris Pharmaceuticals. to develop a novel locally acting product for the treatment of Burning Mouth Syndrome (BMS). Under the terms of the agreement, AFT and Hyloris will co-invest for the development of HY-090 for the purpose of registration, approval and commercialisation.

Under the terms of the agreement, Hyloris shall be accountable for the execution and coordination of formulation and related activities and AFT shall assume the responsibility for the management of clinical trials, overseeing all aspects to ensure effective planning, execution, and monitoring throughout the trial lifecycle. For product commercialisation strategies, Hyloris shall be responsible for Europe, jointly responsible with AFT for the United States and AFT responsible for all other global territories. Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is characterized by burning pain in a normal-appearing oral mucosa lasting at least four to six months.

The condition is idiopathic, and the underlying pathophysiology is not well understood. Patients with burning mouth syndrome commonly experience changes in taste. The reported prevalence ranges from 0.7 to 5% or approximately 2,800,000 individuals in the US and occurs more frequently in women than men, with a female to male ratio of 7:1. Prevalence increases with age in both men and women, with the highest prevalence reported in postmenopausal women aged 60-69 years.