Preliminary Data Support Further Development Of NPS 1776 for Neurological Disorders
SALT LAKE CITY, June 28 /CNW/ -- NPS Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: NPSP - news; Toronto: NX - news) and Abbott
Laboratories (NYSE: ABT - news) announced today that preclinical and clinical data on NPS 1776 were presented at the Fifth Eilat Conference on New Antiepileptic Drugs in Eilat, Israel. NPS 1776 is a new compound that may have potential in the management of neurological disorders. It was recently licensed from NPS Pharmaceuticals to Abbott Laboratories, giving Abbott exclusive worldwide rights for the further development and marketing of this compound.
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In several validated preclinical models of seizures and epilepsy, NPS 1776 has exhibited anticonvulsant activity. Activity in these preclinical models is believed to be a predictor of clinical therapeutic benefit in epilepsy.
In one preclinical model, NPS 1776 was administered daily for four weeks, and no development of tolerance to its
anticonvulsant activity was found. The compound did not induce or inhibit drug metabolism, nor did it have significant protein-binding activity. These findings suggest a low potential for drug-to-drug interactions, and are encouraging for a compound in development for the treatment of epilepsy, since this condition is often managed with more than one anticonvulsant medication. These and other preclinical models suggested that NPS 1776 may also have potential therapeutic uses in other neurologic disorders.
Additionally, data were presented on two double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase I studies of healthy volunteers, conducted in the United Kingdom last year to evaluate single-dose and multiple-dose regimens. In the first Phase I study, a total of 18 volunteers were given an ascending dose of NPS 1776 ranging from 100 mg to 1600 mg three times daily. In the multiple-dose Phase I study, a total of 36 volunteers were given NPS 1776 for 10 days at three doses three times daily ranging from 1200 mg to 2400 mg. In both studies, NPS 1776 was well tolerated and there were no clinically important changes in vital signs, ECGs, clinical lab evaluations, or standard neurological exams.
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