Galantos looking for backing for Alzheimer’s drug

Licensing opportunity, Development opportunity

Galantos Pharma GmbH, has identified a lead molecule in its Alzheimer’s disease programme and is now looking for backing to move the product into the clinic in 2009.

The molecule is a derivative of galantamine, the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor sensitiser which has been approved for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease since 2000. However, the current product requires high dosing, as only a small percentage of active drug crosses the blood-brain barrier. As a result, many patients suffer from gastrointestinal and other side effects, a well known problem of all current effective Alzheimer’s medications.

Galantos says its candidate, a prodrug of galantamine, is able to cross the blood-brain-barrier more readily, where is it metabolised  to galantamine.

In standard animal models of cognition it shows higher efficacy with an improved side effect profile compared to galantamine.

Andreas Köpke, Chief Business Officer of Galantos Pharma said, “We are delighted that we have achieved this important milestone less than two and a half years after inception of the company and less than six month after closing the second financing round, which allowed us to start in vivo animal experiments.”

“As a small pharmaceutical company we have been fortunate to work with expert external partners around the world to achieve this goal. We are now preparing for the next step: either another investment round, or partnering of the current programme.”