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Actinogen extends Alzheimer's drug patent protection in Europe

Published: 04:00 13 Apr 2015 BST

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Actinogen (ASX:ACW) has received official notification to grant from the European Union Patent Office for patent application 11709770.9.

This protects the use ACW's Xanamem™ for use in Alzheimer’s dementia and other related diseases associated with the inhibition of 11-beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase.

Importantly this European patent further extends the comprehensive cover to 2031.

The claims in these patents cover method-to-treat for various diseases beyond Alzheimer’s dementia such as type 2 diabetes and obesity, hypertension, and cardiovascular disorders.

They also cover central nervous system disorders such as mild cognitive impairment and early dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and schizophrenia.

Xanamem™ inhibits an enzyme that reduces cortisone to the active hormone cortisol, which activates glucocorticoid receptors.

The cost of Alzheimer’s treatment in the US alone was estimated to be US$250 billion last year by the American Alzheimer’s Association.

The drug works by blocking the development of cortisol - the stress hormone - in the hippocampus, the area of the brain most affected by Alzheimer’s disease.

There is growing evidence that chronic stress and elevated cortisol levels lead to changes in the brain affecting memory and to the development of amyloid plaques and neural death, which are the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease.

Actinogen is currently completing a second Phase I study on Xanamem™ with results expected mid-2015.

It is set to start a Phase II Alzheimer’s dementia study in early 2016 which is planned to run in Australia, New Zealand, Europe and the USA, under a US Food & Drug Administration approved Investigational New Drug.


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