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Tuesday, October 15 2019 - 09:40
AsiaNet
Collaborative Medicinal Development Enrolls First Patient In a Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial of CuATSM For The Treatment of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
MILL VALLEY, Calif. and MELBOURNE, Australia, Oct. 15, 2019 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ --

Collaborative Medicinal Development, LLC) ("CMD"), a clinical stage 
biopharmaceutical company with a portfolio of candidates for treatment of 
neurological and neuropsychiatric diseases, announced today that it enrolled 
the first patient in a multicenter, randomized, double-blinded, 
placebo-controlled clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of CuATSM 
in subjects with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ("ALS"). ALS is also known as 
Motor Neuron Disease ("MND") and Lou Gehrig's Disease. CMD expects to enroll 80 
patients across four sites in Australia. The study will assess effects of 
6-months treatment with CuATSM compared with placebo on disease severity 
measured by the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Functional Rating Scale-Revised 
(ALSFRS-R) and on cognitive function measured by the Edinburgh Cognitive and 
Behavioral ALS Screen (ECAS). Additional details about the trial (NCT04082832) 
can be found at www.clinicaltrials.gov . Study results should be available in 
approximately 18 months.

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Dominic Rowe, MD, Professor of Neurology at Macquarie University and 
Coordinating Principal Investigator, stated, "We are excited to have enrolled 
the first patient in this study. Working together with our patients and the CMD 
team, we are optimistic that this may be the first effective disease-modifying 
treatment for ALS."

Craig Rosenfeld, MD, CMD CEO, commented, "CuATSM is the first product candidate 
from CMD's pipeline and highlights our commitment to developing innovative 
medicines for neurological diseases with high unmet need."

CuATSM has received orphan drug designation for the treatment of ALS from the 
FDA Office of Orphan Products Development.

About CuATSM

CuATSM is a first-in-class, orally bioavailable, brain-penetrate small 
molecule. 

The potential of CuATSM for treatment of ALS was first demonstrated in five 
mouse models of ALS. Positive results in the most aggressive mouse model of ALS 
were replicated by three independent investigators. A phase 0 clinical trial 
using 62CuATSM demonstrated target engagement in the motor cortex in patients 
with ALS. A phase 1/2a open-label study in patients with both sporadic and 
familial ALS showed that 6-months treatment with CuATSM was associated with 
compelling results in disease severity assessed by ALSFRS-R score and cognition 
assessed by ECAS score.

The potential of CuATSM for treatment of Parkinson's disease ("PD") also has 
been demonstrated in four mouse models of PD A phase 0 clinical trial using 
62CuATSM demonstrated target engagement in the substantia nigra in patients 
with PD. A recently completed phase 1/2a open-label study in patients with PD 
showed 6-months treatment with CuATSM was associated with marked improvements 
in disease severity measured by UPDRS score and quality of life measured by 
PDQ-39 score.

About Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)

ALS, also known as Motor Neuron Disease ("MND") or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a 
progressive and fatal neurodegenerative disease characterized by muscle 
weakness resulting from degeneration of motor neurons. Patients usually die of 
respiratory failure within 2 to 3 years of symptoms onset. There is an urgent 
unmet medical need for disease-modifying therapies in ALS. ALS is a rare 
disease and considered an "Orphan Disease" by regulatory authorities. Further 
information about ALS is available at https://fightmnd.com/ 

About FightMND

CMD acknowledges the generous support that FightMND provided for the CuATSM 
trial in ALS. Rebecca Sheean, Ph.D., Research Director at FightMND stated 
"FightMND is dedicated to finding an effective treatment or cure for MND, also 
referred to as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease. FightMND's support for CMD to 
perform a randomized study of CuATSM is consistent with our goals. CMD has 
demonstrated the potential of CuATSM in the Phase 1-2a study." Jamie Howden, 
CEO at FightMND added "We are excited by CuATSM as a potential disease 
modifying therapeutic for patients with ALS. We are grateful for CMD's 
commitment to join our community in standing up against MND!" More information 
about FightMND is available at https://fightmnd.org.au/ .

About Collaborative Medicinal Development, LLC

CMD is a privately-held biopharmaceutical company developing innovative 
therapies for neurodegenerative diseases. The Company's lead drug, CuATSM, was 
licensed from the University of Melbourne and entered clinical trials in ALS 
and Parkinson's disease in 2017. For more information about CMD, visit the 
website at https://colmeddev.com/ .

Contact Information
For further Information
Rory Hill, Business Development
RoryH@colmeddev.com 

SOURCE  Collaborative Medicinal Development, LLC