Memory Pharmaceuticals completes Phase I Alzheimer’s study

The multiple ascending dose study is the fourth and final study in the company’s Phase I program for R4996/MEM 63908, a partial agonist of the nicotinic alpha-7 receptor being developed in collaboration with Roche.

Under the terms of the agreement, Memory Pharmaceuticals is responsible for conducting Phase I clinical trials of the compound and Roche is responsible for later stage development and commercialization.

The Phase I program for R4996/MEM 63908 included four studies: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled single ascending dose study in 56 healthy adult male volunteers; a food interaction study in 12 healthy adult male volunteers; a randomized, placebo-controlled single dose study in 16 elderly male and female volunteers; and a randomized, placebo-controlled multiple ascending dose study in 48 healthy volunteers, which included 32 young males and females and 16 elderly males and females.

The studies were conducted in Montreal, Canada under clinical trial applications that Memory Pharmaceuticals filed with Health Canada. Memory Pharmaceuticals expects to report top-line results from the entire Phase I program in the fourth quarter of 2008.

Stephen Murray, chief medical officer of Memory Pharmaceuticals, said: “R4996/MEM 63908, the second compound in our nicotinic alpha-7 receptor program, has the potential to address serious cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, and we look forward to analyzing the data from these studies.”