Prana Biotechnology secures key PBT2 patent in Japan and completes core IP suite

April 11th, 2011 - Patents support pipeline opportunities for PBT2 in AD and HD - Prana Biotechnology (ASX: PBT; NASDAQ: PRAN) announced that it has secured a key PBT2 patent in Japan. The Japanese Patent Office has granted a composition of matter patent for Prana’slead clinical asset, PBT2 and other selected 8-Hydroxyquinoline compounds in Japan. The patent entitled ‘8-Hydroxyquinoline derivatives’ also covers pharmaceutical compositions containing PBT2 and selected 8-hydroxyquinoline compounds and the use of the compounds for the treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease.
Geoffrey Kempler, Prana’s Executive Chairman, said “This decision by the Japanese Officeto grant a claim to PBT2 completes a suite of core patent rights protecting this asset in key markets including the United States, Europe, Japan and Australia, further bolstering our commercialization plans in both Huntington’s and Alzheimer’s Disease”.
The Japanese patent has a twenty year term expiring on 16 July 2023, with a possible extension of term of up to 5 years under pharmaceutical protectionprovisions. Importantly there is no post-grant opposition process in Japan whereby third parties can register objections following this decision. In 2010, the company announced the grant of similar claims in Europe and the decision of the United States Patent Office to extend the term of the patent granted in the United States**.
PBT2 was selected from Prana’s Metal Protein Attenuating Compound (MPAC) library as its lead development compound in Alzheimer’s Disease in 2004... [PDF] Prana’s Press Release -

AB Science : Masitinib as an Adjunct Therapy for Alzheimer’s Disease

19 April 2011 - Publication in Alzheimer’s Research and Therapy - AB Science SA (NYSE Euronext - FR0010557264 - AB), a pharmaceutical company specializing in the research, development and commercialization of protein kinase inhibitors (PKIs), announces the publication of results from the first human phase 2 study of masitinib carried-out in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Entitled, ‘Masitinib as an adjunct therapy for mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s disease: a randomised, placebo-controlled phase 2 trial’, this article is freely accessible online from BioMed Central's peer-reviewed journal Alzheimer’s Research and Therapy .

• Phase 2 study establishes proof-of-concept that oral masitinib has potential therapeutic benefits in patients with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer’s disease
• Overall, results add new scientific data to the important question of the potential role of anti inflammatory agents in the management of Alzheimer’s disease
• AB Science is actively preparing to launch a phase 3 study, pivotal in the process of registration of masitinib in this indication

This randomized placebo-controlled phase 2 trial, conducted by Professor François Piette (Hôpital Charles Foix in Ivry-sur-Seine) and colleagues from 12 study centers across France, investigated the hypothesis that masitinib’s targeted inhibitory action on mast cells may reduce the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. A total of 35 patients were included in this study. Neuroinflammation is thought to be important in Alzheimer’s disease pathogenesis. Mast cells are a key component of the inflammatory network and participate in the regulation of the blood-brain barrier’s permeability. Masitinib, a selective oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor, effectively inhibits the survival, migration and activity of mast cells... [PDF] AB Science's Press Release -

StemCells, Inc. Advances Alzheimer's Disease Program Through Collaboration With Leading Researcher

Apr 18, 2011 - StemCells, Inc. (Nasdaq:STEM) announced that it has entered into a collaboration with Frank LaFerla, Ph.D., a world renowned leader in Alzheimer's disease research, to study the therapeutic potential of the Company's HuCNS-SC(R) human neural stem cells in Alzheimer's disease. Dr. LaFerla's published research has shown that mouse neural stem cells enhance memory in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. The goal of this collaboration is to replicate these results using the Company's human neural stem cells.

"This collaboration is a natural evolution of Dr. LaFerla's pioneering research, and will build on the promising results we have seen to date in other preclinical studies of our cells in Alzheimer's disease," said Stephen Huhn, MD, FACS, FAAP, Vice President and Head of the CNS Program at StemCells, Inc. "Our growing human clinical database already includes a favorable safety profile in fatal neurodegenerative disorders as well as proof of engraftment of our HuCNS-SC cells in the brain. Consequently, we will be well positioned for rapid advancement into clinical testing in Alzheimer's disease following successful results from this research collaboration."... StemCells' Press Release -