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Biotech / Medical : TITAN PHARMACEUTICAL (TTP) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Icebrg who wrote (260)	11/12/2003 8:50:57 AM
From: Icebrg	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 362

...cont Titan's ProNeura technology is a copolymer based implant into which a therapeutic drug is incorporated. The implant is placed under the skin, allowing the drug to be delivered appropriately at a consistent level over an extended period. In this study, researchers at Titan and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), under the direction of Dr. Thomas N. Chase, Chief of Experimental Therapeutics Branch of NINDS/NIH, compared constant administration of a dopaminergic agent using ProNeura technology, to once daily administration, for a period of six months. The drug chosen was apomorphine, which has a similar pharmacological profile to levodopa. Results showed that the initial therapeutic response from daily apomorphine injections was comparable to that from Titan's ProNeura implant containing apomorphine. However, after approximately two weeks of daily apomorphine treatment, animals in the daily treatment group developed significant motor complications (dyskinesias). In the continuous treatment ProNeura group, no dyskinesias or any other motor complications developed for the entire six month duration of treatment. "These results suggest that this delivery system can overcome the potential side effects of standard dosing regimens to provide a better treatment for Parkinson's disease," said Dr. Thomas N. Chase, Chief of Experimental Therapeutics Branch of NINDS/NIH, and principal investigator for the study. "This method of releasing a steady and constant amount of dopamine agonists is the first of its kind and represents an important step towards improving the quality of life of Parkinson's patients." Titan's ProNeura technology utilizes an ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymer that forms a matrix in combination with the drug to be administered. The matrix is then made into a small flat rod that is placed under the skin, allowing consistent drug levels to be maintained in the blood for up to six months after a single administration, avoiding the varying blood levels often seen with daily drug administration. Replacement of the matrix after six months can potentially continually extend treatment. "These results are encouraging," stated Louis R. Bucalo, M.D., Chairman, President and CEO of Titan, "and provide a potential expansion of Titan's continued commitment to improved treatment of Parkinson's disease. These results with apomorphine demonstrate proof of principal of the potential utility of continuous administration of dopamine agonists in earlier stages of Parkinson's disease using ProNeura technology. Our next steps are to evaluate the possible suitability of various dopamine agonists for incorporation into our ProNeura technology."