NEUROGEN UPDATES STATUS OF PARTNERED DRUG DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS
PR Newswireÿ-ÿ Wednesday, December 01, 1999
BRANFORD, Conn., Dec 1, 1999 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Neurogen Corporation (Nasdaq: NRGN), a leading drug discovery and development company, today announced progress the Company is making in advancing its broad portfolio of new drug programs and in exploiting its drug discovery technologies. In each of its drug discovery programs, Neurogen's goal is to discover multiple chemical series from which to select multiple drug candidates for advancement through clinical development.
Anxiety/Depression Program -- GABA In collaboration with Pfizer Inc, Neurogen is developing drugs that modulate specific GABA receptor subtypes to treat anxiety without the side effects, such as sedation and memory impairment, of currently marketed drugs like Valium(R) and Xanax(R). Neurogen is a leader in the discovery of novel chemical series that modulate GABA activity and is evaluating multiple candidates in various pre-clinical models. Candidates from multiple chemical series have demonstrated in pre-clinical animal models the ability to quickly reduce anxiety without producing the side effects of other drugs used to treat anxiety. Several advanced candidates have also shown promise in pre-clinical animal models predictive of efficacy in the treatment of depression. Pfizer has recently begun Phase I human clinical studies with one of the most advanced drug candidates. These studies are examining the safety and pharmacokinetics of the candidate in several dosing groups of normal, healthy volunteers.
Insomnia Program -- GABA Neurogen and Pfizer are also collaborating to develop drugs that modulate GABA receptor subtypes differently than existing insomnia therapies, such as Sonata(R) and Ambien(R). A critical program goal is to develop drug candidates that act quickly to induce sleep and clear the body before morning. This approach is designed to treat insomnia without the side effects of current drugs, such as night time waking, morning drowsiness and interaction with alcohol. Through its ongoing research efforts, Neurogen has identified multiple candidates in various stages of testing including potential candidates from a new series discovered this year. Pfizer is currently testing the most advanced of these candidates in Phase I human clinical studies with a primary focus on the candidate's onset and duration of action.
Alzheimer's Disease Program -- GABA In a third GABA-based collaboration, Neurogen and Pfizer are developing drugs to treat Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. A number of potential candidates have been identified from the on-going research program and are in various stages of testing. The most advanced drug candidate began Phase I human clinical testing in the first quarter of 1999. Results of human Phase I studies conducted to date indicate that this compound is well tolerated at many times the efficacious exposure projected from animal data. The on-going Phase I trials are examining the safety and pharmacokinetics of the compound.
Obesity Program -- NPY Under a separate collaborative agreement, Neurogen and Pfizer are working together to discover and develop drugs to treat obesity by blocking specific neuropeptide Y (NPY) receptor subtypes. NPY, a chemical in the human brain, is thought to be the most potent stimulator of feeding, based upon extensive animal studies. Obesity is a major health problem in the US, with over one-third of the adult population identified as obese, and is strongly linked to a higher incidence of other diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. Neurogen and Pfizer have recently expanded their pre-clinical evaluation of several candidates and are evaluating newer candidates from additional chemical series in other pre-clinical studies. The companies expect to take the most promising candidate from these studies into formal human clinical trials.
AIDD(TM) (Accelerated Intelligent Drug Discovery) In connection with the $27 million licensing agreement signed between Neurogen and Pfizer Inc in June for AIDD, Neurogen is training Pfizer scientists and beginning the installation process of Neurogen's AIDD system at Pfizer. Neurogen has also launched a marketing effort for the purpose of licensing AIDD to other pharmaceutical companies.
Neurogen is a leader in both the discovery and development of new drug candidates and in the development and integration of new drug discovery technologies, most notably its AIDD (Accelerated Intelligent Drug Discovery) system. Neurogen has generated a growing portfolio of compelling new drug programs that promise improved efficacy and reduced side effects in the treatment of large market psychiatric, metabolic and inflammatory disorders. Through strategic collaborations with world-class pharmaceutical companies, Neurogen couples its ability to generate multiple drug candidates with the proven drug development and marketing expertise of its partners. These collaborations help to finance the company's operations and hold the promise of valuable royalties and profit sharing upon the commercialization of Neurogen's products. Neurogen also finances its activities via licenses of its AIDD system to other companies.
The information in this press release contains certain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties as detailed from time to time in Neurogen's SEC filings, including its most recent 10-K. Actual results may differ materially from the statements made as a result of various factors, including, but not limited to, risks associated with the inherent uncertainty of Company research, difficulties or delays in development, testing, regulatory approval, production and marketing of any of the Company's drug candidates, adverse side effects or inadequate therapeutic efficacy of the Company's drug candidates, advancement of competitive products, dependence on corporate partners, difficulties or delays in development, delivery or performance of the Company's AIDD-related systems and business, sufficiency of cash to fund the Company's planned operations and patent, product liability and third party reimbursement risks associated with the pharmaceutical industry.
SOURCE Neurogen Corporation
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