New Pharmaceutical Company To Target Alzheimer's Disease

Main Category: Alzheimer's / Dementia
Also Included In: Clinical Trials / Drug Trials;  Pharma Industry / Biotech Industry
Article Date: 22 Oct 2008 - 0:00 PDT

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A team of world-renowned scientists announced the launch of Archer Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a new company that will use modern technologies for the identification of novel treatments for Alzheimer's disease.

Archer Pharmaceuticals, Inc., led by Chief Executive Officer Michael Mullan, M.B.B.S., Ph.D. and Chief Technical Officer Fiona Crawford, Ph.D., was created based on the groundbreaking research that their team has been conducting in Florida for the past five years.

Archer Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has several compounds that are ready to enter clinical development, including ARC029 and ARC031. These compounds have been manufactured at the Sarasota-based facility to U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulatory standards (GMP). Both are targeted at the reduction of soluble amyloid proteins in the brain -- thought by many to be the main culprits in degeneration of neurons in the brains of Alzheimer's disease sufferers. In addition, Archer Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has several other agents in the preclinical stage, including Gamma Secretase Inhibitors and BACE Inhibitors. These approaches are designed to attack the Alzheimer's disease soluble amyloid in different ways, providing complementary approaches to the lead compounds.

ARC029 was selected from approximately 2,000 agents as Archer Pharmaceuticals, Inc.'s first-line treatment for Alzheimer's because it was one of the most proficient at lowering amyloid levels in preclinical models. In these models ARC029 reduces brain amyloid levels by largely unexplored biological mechanisms.

"ARC029 acts to lower the soluble forms of amyloid before they damage the brain's neurons," said Dr. Mullan. "We believe that the soluble, rather than the deposited forms, are the real culprits in the disease, and so reducing them is our goal with this compound."

"Alzheimer's disease is a growing problem around the world, with devastating consequences for patients, caregivers and families," said Dr. Crawford. "We now have strategies to tackle the cause, not just the consequences, of Alzheimer's disease. We are confident that the expertise and dedication of the Archer staff will lead to effective treatments for this terrible disease."

A Phase I/IIA clinical trial, that is currently being conducted in Europe, was designed to evaluate the safety of Nilvadipine, the active ingredient of ARC029, in Alzheimer's sufferers. The study has shown that the drug was well tolerated in Alzheimer's patients.

While neither ARC029 nor ARC031 is currently available in the United States (U.S.), Archer Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is expecting to proceed with U.S. clinical studies within the next few months.

Archer Pharmaceuticals, Inc. intends to fast track ARC029 and ARC031, while continuing to work on other therapeutic approaches.

Archer Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a fully independent health care company dedicated to enhancing and extending healthy human life.

Archer Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
http://www.ArcherPharma.com