SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Neuropore Therapies, Inc. announced today that partner UCB initiated a multicenter clinical trial in Parkinson’s disease patients with UCB0599 in the United States of America. UCB0599, an alpha-synuclein misfolding inhibitor, is a therapeutic candidate arising from the Neuropore-UCB collaboration. Neuropore will receive a $5 million (USD) award as a result of achieving this milestone.
“We are pleased to reach the milestone of advancing into Parkinson’s patients for the first time with UCB0599, a therapeutic candidate arising from our collaboration with UCB. We believe that inhibition of alpha-synuclein misfolding and oligomerization with an orally active, brain penetrant, small molecule represents a potential advantage over antibody therapeutics that are currently in development,” stated Errol De Souza, President and CEO of Neuropore Therapies.
As announced in January 2015, Neuropore Therapies granted UCB a world-wide license to develop and commercialize alpha-synuclein targeting molecules in all indications. As a result of the milestone achieved with UCB0599, Neuropore will have cumulatively received $43 million of the potential $460 million in total milestones through its collaboration with UCB.
About Parkinson’s disease
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer’s disease. There are an estimated seven to ten million patients with PD worldwide. The age of onset is approximately 60 years. Current treatments for PD are effective at managing the early motor symptoms of the disease, mainly through the use of levodopa and dopamine agonists. As the disease progresses and dopaminergic neurons continue to be lost, these drugs eventually become less effective at treating the symptoms.
About UCB0599
UCB0599 is an orally bioavailable, brain barrier penetrant small molecule that prevents the oligomerization of alpha-synuclein. Alpha-synuclein oligomerization and aggregation is implicated in Parkinson’s disease and other degenerative diseases. By inhibiting misfolding and oligomerization of alpha-synuclein, it is believed that the progression of Parkinson’s disease can be slowed or halted. UCB0599 belongs to a series of molecules discovered by Neuropore, which were licensed to UCB in 2014.
About UCB
UCB, Brussels, Belgium (www.ucb.com) is a global biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery and development of innovative medicines and solutions to transform the lives of people living with severe diseases in immunology or neurology. With around 7,500 people, operating in 40 countries, the company generated revenue of € 4.6 billion in 2018. UCB is listed on Euronext Brussels (symbol: UCB). Follow us on Twitter: @UCBUSA
About Neuropore Therapies, Inc.
Neuropore Therapies Inc. is a San Diego, California based biopharmaceutical company developing novel disease modifying small molecule therapeutics for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders. Neuropore’s therapeutic candidates block the neurotoxic oligomeric aggregates of misfolded proteins which are the primary drivers of disease pathology by preventing the induction of damaging neuroinflammation mechanisms common to many neurodegenerative disorders. By targeting the underlying mechanisms by which neuroinflammation drives the cycle of protein pathology and neurodegeneration, Neuropore’s therapeutic candidates could have broad applications in slowing disease progression and improving symptoms across a wide range of neuro- inflammatory / neuro-degenerative disorders.
Neuropore possesses a pipeline with two therapeutic candidates in clinical development, UCB0599 and NPT520-34, In addition, Neuropore is developing several other small molecule programs that are in lead optimization and/or preclinical development.
For more information visit www.neuropore.com
Forward looking statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements based on current information, projections and assumptions of management. Statements in this press release that are not strictly historical in nature are forward-looking statements. By their nature forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks and uncertainties which may cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements contained in this press release.
Important factors that could result in such differences include the risks and uncertainties inherent in drug discovery, development, approval and commercialization, collaborations with others, and the fact that past results of clinical trials and regulatory decisions may not be indicative of future trial results or regulatory decisions.
