Neuren, Metabolic progress in neuron drug
Sunday, October 14, 2007; Posted: 08:02 PM

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Sydney, Oct 15, 2007 (RWE via COMTEX) -- NURPF | charts | news | PowerRating --
(RWE Australian Business News) Neuren Pharmaceuticals (ASX:NEU) and Metabolic Pharmaceuticals (ASX:MBP) report new animal data from their joint research program to develop Neural Regeneration Peptides (NRPs) as a novel treatment for neuropathic and neurodegenerative conditions.

NRPs are a class of human derived peptides that display a broad range of biological effects important for the protection and regeneration of nervous system tissue. A possible lead drug candidate with the desired physical characteristics has now been identified from preclinical tests.

In rodent studies, drug candidate NNZ-4945 has been shown to prolong the life of mice in a model of motor neuron disease and also to reduce functional impairment in a model of peripheral neuropathy.

NNZ-4945 tested on mice with motor neuron disease.

Motor neuron disease (MND), also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that attacks motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord.

Motor neurons are the cells that control skeletal muscle activities such as speaking, walking, swallowing and breathing. When motor neurons can no longer send impulses to the muscles due to MND, the muscles begin to waste away causing increased muscle weakness, and eventually makes it impossible for the brain to control muscles or signal them to move. The life expectancy for patients diagnosed with MND is typically 2-5 years, with the disease proving fatal within 14 months of diagnosis in 50 percent of patients. New treatments are needed for MND as the only available prescription is riluzole, a drug that extends life expectancy by only three months.

NRP compound NNZ-4945 was tested in a mouse model of MND by a US-based laboratory and demonstrated promising efficacy.

The longevity of mice with MND was significantly reduced by the progressive loss of motor neurons, with the animals succumbing to the disease 38 days after the first observation of MND symptoms (disease onset).

Mice treated daily with doses of NNZ-4945, from the day of disease onset, lived significantly longer than mice treated with a placebo, with an average lifespan of 52 days from disease onset, representing a 37 percent increase in life expectancy.

Peripheral neuropathy is a relatively common and disabling condition characterised by nerve damage due to diseases such as diabetes, or as a result of drug treatments, such as chemotherapy. Peripheral neuropathy affects as many as 20 million people in the US alone, with at least 60 percent of all diabetic patients suffering neuropathic symptoms.

Currently the approved drugs for the treatment of peripheral neuropathy, which have combined sales in excess of US$2 billion a year, provide only symptomatic relief for pain and do not treat or prevent the underlying disease process. Health care costs associated with this condition are estimated to exceed US$11 billion a year.


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