Quote:
Originally Posted by soccertese
not sure how vigorously they are pursuing this after clinical trial results weren't great.
http://www.xenoport.com/research_dev...technology.htm
http://investor.xenoport.com/release...leaseid=708154
Ronald W. Barrett, Ph.D., chief executive officer of XenoPort, stated, “While we observed an impressive reduction from baseline in ‘off time’ for 279/CD dosed three times per day, we are disappointed that this trial did not provide a clear indication of the benefit, other than dosing frequency, of 279/CD for advanced Parkinson’s disease patients compared to optimized doses of Sinemet. This may have been due to the large reduction from baseline in ‘off time’ observed once patients had their Sinemet dose optimized within the trial. Given that the goal of the trial was to demonstrate a clinical benefit over Sinemet, it was important that both treatments were equivalently optimized using specific guidelines. We intend to further analyze these data, including investigation of possible explanations for the outliers. We also plan to discuss these results with Parkinson’s disease experts and possibly with regulatory authorities to determine next steps, if any. We will defer further investment in this program pending the outcome of our data analysis and these discussions.” |
Well, they’ve got traction, what with the recently merged GlaxoSmithKlineMerckSandofBayerFritoLayExxon handling the sales of the deftly-named “Horizont”, a name much mocked by Reverette123 and accomplices on this very site.
XenoPort:
We are a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing a portfolio of internally discovered product candidates for the potential treatment of neurological disorders. Our first product, Horizant® (gabapentin enacarbil) Extended-Release Tablets, is currently being promoted by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) in the United States. Regnite® (gabapentin enacarbil) Extended-Release Tablets is approved for the treatment of moderate-to-severe primary restless legs syndrome in Japan. Astellas Pharma Inc. holds all development and commercialization rights for Regnite in Japan and five Asian countries. XenoPort’s product candidates are being developed for the potential treatment of spasticity, Parkinson’s disease and relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.
(Well I’m happy for the Japanese, the only country getting their restless leg syndrome straightened out). Xenoport seems to try hard and may find a breakthrough, but they do sound a bit discouraged about their Parkinson's efforts.
But is not the same study as the one from the University of London – that one is exciting; although right away I worry that if we can get levodopa through the blood brain barrier, basically by subterfuge, smuggling molecules one by one over the border: (or smuggling bicycles) will that also open the pathway to having all sorts of unwanted things getting into our brains (such as, any song by Celine Dion).
What reasons does the brain have to keep out levodopa? Will our brains rejoice or retaliate if we Take Down That Wall. It turned out great to tear down the Berlin Wall; but the Great Wall of China was inadequate to keep out the barbarian hordes. And then there was the Maginot line – you just had to go around it. Can we with impunity traverse the brain border and deliver the drugs straight to the end user? It would be a huge breakthrough. Hope springs eternal....
It would be very interesting to hear from Ron Hutton and the U. of London and JohnT and others about what they are all thinking about this; where it comes from and where it is going.
Remember the New Yorker fretting about Europe surpassing the U.S.A. in brain research? Eh?