AMRI : NIH Contract Award for the Development of Pre-Clinical Drug Candidates to Treat Diseases of the Nervous System

August 18, 2011 – AMRI (NASDAQ: AMRI) announced it received a federal contract award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) / National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) to provide chemistry and other drug discovery technologies in support of NINDS' Medicinal Chemistry for Neurotherapeutics Program (MCNP), part of the NIH Blueprint Neurotherapeutics Network. AMRI has been collaborating with NINDS since 2005 on novel treatments for spinal muscular atrophy, a degenerative neuromuscular disease.

The five-year contract provides AMRI with funding of up to $43 million, based on the number of approved projects and availability of funds. The initial funding of up to $10 million applies to the first phase of the project, expected to begin this month, with the objective of delivering at least one Phase I clinical trial candidate.

“After a highly competitive, rigorous application process, AMRI was selected for this contract award because of our proven track record on projects of similar scope with a number of global pharmaceutical companies. The company's deep bench strength, scale of operations, and strong global footprint enable us to consistently deliver high performance and quality for our clients on a cost-effective basis. This significant award demonstrates the NIH's new focus on helping support the translation of basic research discoveries in areas of unmet medical need to potential drug candidates,” said AMRI's Chairman, President and CEO, Thomas E. D'Ambra, Ph.D.

“We are pleased to support NIH/NINDS' efforts and provide our discovery resources to the neuroscience research community and to patients who suffer from devastating neurological and degenerative diseases, such as macular degeneration and Alzheimer's disease,” added Dr. D'Ambra... AMRI's Press Release -

Rexahn Pharmaceuticals : European Patent granted for Neurotherapeutic Compositions

August 8, 2011 – Rexahn Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE Amex: RNN), a clinical stage pharmaceutical company commercializing potential best in class oncology and CNS therapeutics, announced that the European Patent Office (EPO) has granted European patent No. EP1212055 entitled “Neurotherapeutic compositions comprising a beta-lactam compound.”
This patent covers compounds including clavulanic acid and moxalactam for the treatment of neurological disorders such as depression, anxiety, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, as well as their use and pharmaceutical formulation... Rexahn Pharmaceuticals' Press Release -

The Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation and Charles River : Collaboration to Create a New Cognitive Aging Research Program

July 12, 2011 -- The Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) is pleased to announce a collaboration with Charles River Laboratories International, Inc. (NYSE: CRL), a leading provider of early-stage drug development products and services, for the creation of a new research award program entitled Use of Aged Rats as a Relevant Preclinical Model for the Development of Therapies for Cognitive Aging and Alzheimer's Disease. The program is made possible through a donation from Charles River's Discovery Services business and funds from the ADDF.

The goal of the three-year initiative is to accelerate the discovery of new drugs for cognitive aging and Alzheimer's disease. The program will fund preclinical studies focused on proof-of-concept testing of novel compounds in aged rats. Academic and biotechnology company scientists are invited to apply to the program, which will provide funding of up to $150,000 for one-year. The deadline for submissions is October 5, 2011, and funding will be awarded in December 2011...[PDF] Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation's Press Release -