(RTTNews) - XORTX Therapeutics Inc. (XRTX), a late-stage pharmaceutical company, is trading higher in overnight trading after announcing the start of drug substance production and tablet manufacturing for its gout treatment candidate, XORLO, to support the planned two-part XRX-OXY-102 clinical study.

XRX-OXY-102 is a planned clinical study evaluating XORLO, XORTX's proprietary oxypurinol formulation for treating gout.

According to XORTX, approximately 44 million individuals in the U.S. have uric acid levels above the normal range, with 9.2 million individuals living with gout. Gout can cause severe pain, reduced quality of life and physical function, higher healthcare costs, and lost productivity, and is linked to metabolic syndrome, heart attack, Type 2 diabetes, chronic kidney disease and premature death.

Oral xanthine oxidase inhibitors (XOIs) are the current standard of care, but limitations remain, including cardiovascular risk associated with certain treatments.

According to the company, XORLO is designed to address this unmet need with a differentiated safety and efficacy profile.

The company is also working with its contract manufacturing partner to produce commercial drug batches.

The manufacturing activities are intended to support the planned two-part XRX-OXY-102 clinical study and generate validation and stability data expected to support a future U.S. FDA marketing application.

The company expects to provide further updates on its clinical and regulatory strategy in the coming weeks.

XRTX closed Thursday's trade at $2.11, down 2.22%. In the overnight market, shares are trading up 31.28% at $2.77.