Titan enrolls patients in Parkinson's drug study
SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., Jan 25, 2001 (Reuters) - Titan
Pharmaceuticals Inc. said on Thursday that it has enrolled the first six
patients in a Phase I/II clinical trial for Spheramine to treat
Parkinson's disease, which attacks the central nervous system.
The study on patients with moderately severe to severe forms of
Parkinson's disease is being conducted at Emory University School of
Medicine in Atlanta. Schering AG (quote from Yahoo! UK & Ireland:
SCHG.F) is Titan's development partner on the drug.
The trial follows a series of preclinical studies in which Spheramine
was found to reverse Parkinson's-like symptoms and to
significantly improve motor function in a primate model of Parkinson's
disease.
The six patients have been on treatment ranging from one to nine months.
Preliminary results from this Phase I/II clinical study will be
presented later this year at scientific meetings.
The drug is made up of cells that produce dopamine, a product that is
deficient in certain regions of the brain in Parkinson's
disease patients. This lack of dopamine causes progressive motor
disorders such as rigidity and slowed, difficult movements of
the legs and arms.
In a minimally invasive procedure, Spheramine is implanted into the
regions of the brain that lack dopamine due to Parkinson's
disease.
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Copyright © 2001 Yahoo! Inc./Copyright 2001 Reuters Limited.
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Judith Richards, London, Ontario, Canada
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