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We found a little more information on NS 2214, the new medication Anne Rutherford wrote about last week. I'll reprint some of the articles: Source: Reuters Date: Jan. 17, 1996 Headline: Bristol-Myers, NeuruSearch in drug pact Dateline: Princeton, NJ, Jan 17 Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.. and NeuroSearch A/S of Denmark said Wednesday that they signed an agreement to develop an oral compound for the treatment of Parkinson's Disease. The collaboration gives Bristol-Meyers Squibb exclusive rights to develop and market the compound worldwide except in Scandanavia, the Baltics and Japan... Neurosearch will receive up-front and milestone payments up to $29 million in addition to royalties, the companies said. A Phase I clinical trial of the compound has been completed in the U.K. and Phase II studies are expected to begin in the first quarter of 1996. The compound, a modulator of the dopamine transporter protein is also known as a dopamine re-uptake inhibitor, was discovered by NeuroSearch scientists, the companies said." Much of the same information was repeated in other articles, but I'm reprinting sections of the following: Source: BIOWORLD Today Vol. 7, no. 12, Jan. 18, 1996 Headline: Bristol-Myers Squibb to pay NeuroSearch up to $29M for new Parkinson's drug. by Charles Craig "Officials of Denmark based NeuroSearch A/S said pharmaceutical companies started inquiring about their new anti-Parkinson's disease compound after animal studies showed it could reverse the disorder's symptons without causing a major side effect (dyskinesia) brought on by current treatments. ...(Jorgen Buss (president and CEO) said NeuroSearch's compound is a dopamine re-uptake inhibitor, which enhances the effectiveness of a patient's naturally occurring dopamine. Normally, after the neurotransmitter delivers its message to the nerve cells, the dopamine is recycled. "If you block the neuronal uptake of the substance, you have more dopamine," Lassen told BioWorld Today. "We enhance the natural release of dopamine." Bristol-Myers is expected to launch Phase II trials of NS 2214 in Europe during the first quarter of 1996." I have 2 questions. Does anyone know more about how a re-uptake inhibitor works? It sounds like you'd need to have a certain amount of naturally occurring dopamine in order for it to work. Also, can someone explain the different phases in clinical drug trials? Thanks. Linda Herman [log in to unmask]