Targacept : Decision by AstraZeneca to Advance AZD1446 in Alzheimer’s Disease

January 05, 2012 - Targacept, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRGT), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel NNR Therapeutics™, announced that AstraZeneca has informed the company that it plans to progress the development of Targacept’s product candidate AZD1446 as a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.

AZD1446 is a selective modulator of the alpha4beta2 neuronal nicotinic receptor that arose out of a research collaboration conducted by Targacept and AstraZeneca. Under the terms of a 2005 collaborative research and license agreement, AstraZeneca is responsible for conducting and funding the development and potential commercialization of AZD1446. The next clinical trial of AZD1446 is expected to be a Phase 2 study as an adjunct treatment to donepezil in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease... Targacept's Press Release -