Depression drug well tolerated in study

Tyrima is a member of a novel class of drugs known as reversible inhibitors of monoamine oxidase A, or RIMAs. The single-dose, placebo-controlled trial evaluated Tyrima in 41 subjects with doses escalating from 5 mg to 120 mg over the course of the study. None of the safety and tolerability issues commonly associated with conventional monoamine oxidase A inhibitors (MAOIs) were seen in this study.

“The triple mechanism of MAOI antidepressants has the potential to provide enhanced efficacy to the 30% of patients who do not respond to current therapies, but use of these drugs has been limited by their propensity to cause serious side effects,” said Atul Pande, chief medical officer of CeNeRx.

“It is therefore encouraging that Tyrima, a selective and reversible MAO inhibitor specifically designed to avoid these side effects, demonstrated a promising safety profile in its first clinical trial, even at the highest dose. These results provide a strong foundation for proceeding to multiple dose safety studies.”

Tyrima could be the first RIMA antidepressant available in the US market, and it has patent protection through 2026. CeNeRx has worldwide rights to develop and commercialize Tyrima.