Grant
Addex Pharmaceuticals Ltd of Geneva has been awarded a $900,000 grant from The Michael J. Fox Foundation to help fund a Phase II study of ADX48621 for the treatment of dyskinesia, or uncontrolled movements, that are caused by treatment with the Parkinson’s disease treatment levodopa. Patients with Parkinson’s Disease can live 10-20 years after diagnosis; however, levodopa induced dyskinesia is a leading cause of disability in this growing patient population.
“People with Parkinson’s report that the side-effects of levodopa treatment are one of the most difficult aspects of living with the disease. We believe ADX48621 has the potential to improve the quality of life for patients suffering from the undesirable effects of long-term dopamine replacement,” said Katie Hood, CEO of the Michael J. Fox Foundation. “ADX48621 targets a molecular mechanism that our Foundation has been investing in since 2005.”
ADX48621 is a metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 negative allosteric modulator. It already has successfully completed Phase I testing in three studies involving a total of 130 patients, including older healthy volunteers. A Phase II study of ADX48621 to treat dykinesia is expected to start in the U.S. and EU during the fourth quarter of 2010.
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