The AZD-103 compound is a potentially disease-modifying therapeutic drug candidate for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. According to the company, this unique class of drug candidates may provide significant advantages over the current therapies on the market.
The phase I trial is a single blind, randomized, placebo controlled study in which healthy volunteers will receive placebo or an escalating acute dose of AZD-103. The primary objectives of the trial are to evaluate the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of AZD-103. Enrolment is expected to begin September 2006.
AZD-103 (scyllo-cyclohexanehexol) is part of an emerging class of disease-modifying drugs that have the potential to both reduce disease progression and improve symptoms such as cognitive function.
As reported recently in a Nature Medicine publication, oral treatment of AZD-103 reduces accumulation of amyloid beta and amyloid beta plaques in the brain, as well as reduces or eliminates learning deficits in a leading transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease. In addition, AZD-103 is well positioned as a potential Alzheimer’s therapy as it can be taken orally, crosses the blood brain barrier and has a favorable safety profile.