AlzeCure Pharma today presented key preclinical data on its novel cognitive enhancer at the AAT-AD/PD conference

AlzeCure Pharma AB (publ) (FN STO: ALZCUR) today had a late breaking presentation at the AAT-AD/PD conference (Advances in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Therapies), which this year is kept completely digital as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. These interesting preclinical data support further clinical development of the lead candidate drug ACD856.

Dr. Pontus Forsell, Head of Discovery at AlzeCure Pharma and the lead author of the study presented his oral presentation today, April 2, at 5.10 pm CET. The title of it is ACD856, a positive modulator of neurotrophin signaling reverses scopolamine- or age-induced cognitive deficits.

ACD856 presentation – highlights:

• ACD856 is a positive modulator of neurotrophin signaling; systems that play a critical role in synaptic plasticity and cognitive function
• ACD856 is more potent in vitro and in vivo than its predecessor, ACD855
• ACD856 significantly increases the levels of key neurotransmitters in the hippocampus – an area known to play a critical role in memory processing
• ACD856 improves memory in animals through different processes, including  consolidation and retrieval of memory
• ACD856 is able to fully reverse an age-induced cognitive impairment to a level comparable to young animals – key data strongly support its further development as a cognitive enhancer
• ACD856 displays good pharmacokinetic properties and bioavailability in animals, making it a suitable clinical candidate
• ACD856 is currently in early clinical development as a cognitive enhancer for treatment of cognitive disorders, including but not limited to Alzheimer’s disease – areas of great unmet medical need

"Based on the potent memory enhancing effect and the promising pharmacokinetic properties of the compound, we look forward to the clinical development of ACD856. These are important steps for AlzeCure Pharma in an area of large unmet medical need", commented Dr. Forsell. 

“These are very interesting preclinical data that support further clinical development of ACD856. Given the huge unmet medical need in this area, novel symptomatic treatments will be a critical part of our future medical toolbox”, said Bengt Winblad, Professor in Geriatrics at Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.

To speed up the clinical development of ACD856, and ensure confidence in the clincal candidate, the pharmacokinetic properties are currently being assessed in a clinical study, focusing on half-life. Results are expected in the first half of 2020. Further clinical Phase I studies will be initiated in the second half of 2020, with the aim to evaluate the candidate's safety and tolerability, as well as early efficacy endpoints (cognition).

Presentation details

Presentation number: 974

Authors: P. Forsell, G. Nordvall, N. Madjid, M. Dahlström, M. Halldin, J. Lundkvist, B. Winblad, M. Eriksdotter and J. Sandin

Session details: Symposium 5 – AD: from animal models to treatment strategies

Chair(s): Pontus K. Forsell, Sweden Takaomi C. Saido, Japan

Time: 5.10 pm CET

Link to the oral presentation and poster: https://www.alzecurepharma.se/en/presentations-and-interviews/

For more information, please contact

Martin Jönsson, CEO

Tel: +46 707 86 94 43

martin.jonsson@alzecurepharma.com

The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out above, at 17.30 CET on April 2, 2020. 

About AlzeCure Pharma

AlzeCure Pharma AB is a Swedish pharmaceutical company engaged in innovative drug research with a primary focus on Alzheimer’s disease and pain. The company is listed on Nasdaq First North Premier Growth Market and is developing five drug candidates based on the two research platforms, NeuroRestore® and Alzstatin®. The NeuroRestore platform comprises symptom-relieving drug candidates while Alzstatin comprises disease modifying and preventive drug candidates. A diversified portfolio of drug candidates that act on central signaling pathways in the brain also opens up for other indications such as cognitive dysfunctions in traumatic brain injury (TBI), sleep apnea and Parkinson’s disease. The company also has two projects in the field of pain, TrkA-NAM and VR1. FNCA Sweden AB, +46(0)8-528 00 399, info@fnca.se, is the company’s certified adviser. For further information, please visit our website at www.alzecurepharma.se

About NeuroRestore

NeuroRestore is a platform of symptom-relieving drug candidates for disease states in which cognitive ability is impaired, e.g. Alzheimer's Disease. NeuroRestore stimulates several important signaling pathways in the brain, which among other things leads to improved cognition. In preclinical studies with NeuroRestore we have been able to show that our drug candidates enhance communication between the nerve cells and improve cognitive ability. NeuroRestore primarily focuses on specific signaling pathways in the central nervous system consisting of neurotrophins, the most well-known being NGF (Nerve Growth Factor) and BDNF (Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor). The levels of NGF and BDNF are disturbed in several disease states and the signaling is reduced. The impaired function impairs communication between the synapses, i.e. the contact surfaces of the nerve endings, as well as reducing the possibility of survival for the nerve cells, which gives rise to the cognitive impairments. Neurotrophins play a crucial role for the function of nerve cells, and a disturbed function of BDNF has a strong genetic link to impaired cognitive ability in several different diseases, such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease, traumatic brain injury and sleep apnea.

About Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, affecting approximately 45 million people worldwide. Alzheimer’s disease is a lethal disorder that also has a large impact on families and on the society. Today, preventive and disease modifying treatments are missing. The main risk factors to develop Alzheimer’s are age and genetic causes. Even though the disease can start as early as between 40 and 65 years of age, it is most common after 65 years. Significant investments in Alzheimer research are being made because of the significant unmet medical need and the large cost of this disease for healthcare and society. The total global costs for dementia related diseases is estimated to about 1,000 billion USD globally in 2018. Given the lack of both effective symptomatic treatments and disease modifying treatments, the need for new effective therapies is acute.The few approved drugs on the market today have only a limited symptomatic effect and can produce dose limiting side effects. A disease modifying treatment for Alzheimer’s disease is estimated to reach more than 10 billion USD in yearly sales. In Sweden, approximately 100 000 persons suffer from Alzheimer’s disease with a healthcare cost of about 63 billion SEK yearly, which is more than for cancer and cardiovascular diseases combined.