Neurogen licenses Aplindore from Wyeth

Aplindore was initially developed by Wyeth for schizophrenia and has been studied in six phase I and phase II clinical trials. The drug demonstrated excellent brain receptor occupancy and pharmacologic activity at low doses, but proved inappropriate for the treatment of this disease at the dose range tested.

Neurogen believes that at doses significantly lower than those used in previous trials, Aplindore may prove to be an attractive treatment for Parkinson's disease and RLS. Neurogen expects to commence phase II trials with Aplindore during 2007.

Neurogen acquired worldwide rights to Aplindore for an initial license fee payment of $3 million. Neurogen will also pay Wyeth milestone payments upon the successful achievement of clinical development and regulatory events, and royalties on worldwide sales.

Aplindore is a small molecule partial agonist for the D2 dopamine receptor. Currently available dopamine agonist treatments for Parkinson's disease produce side effects in many patients. Neurogen believes that Aplindore may provide an improved side-effect profile and shorter dosing titration period in Parkinson's disease and RLS due to partial agonism of the D2 receptor, as compared with the full agonist drugs currently in use.