MELBOURNE, Australia and SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 4, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Alterity Therapeutics (ASX: ATH, NASDAQ: ATHE) ("Alterity" or "the Company") today announced that new clinical and experimental pharmacology data for its lead drug candidate ATH434 (formerly PBT434) has been selected for presentation at the 2020 International Congress of Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders (MDS 2020) and the American Neurological Association's 2020 Annual Meeting (ANA 2020).
New animal data from the laboratory of Dr. Nadia Stefanova, Professor of Translational Neurodegeneration Research at the Medical University of Innsbruck, will be presented at ANA 2020. The new data, from an experiment testing ATH434 in an animal model of Multiple System Atrophy (MSA), independently confirm and extend previous findings demonstrating that ATH434 reduces α-synuclein pathology, preserves neurons, and improves motor performance.
ATH434, which is an orally bioavailable, brain penetrant, small molecule inhibitor of α-synuclein aggregation, is being developed for the treatment of MSA, a Parkinsonian disorder. Alpha-synuclein aggregation is implicated in the pathology of MSA and Parkinson's disease.
Professor Gregor Wenning, Chair of the Division of Neurobiology at Medical University of Innsbruck and Co-Founding Director of the European MSA Study Group, said: "There is a great need for new treatments of this devastating condition. The exceptional work from Dr. Stefanova's team demonstrates the effectiveness of ATH434 in a disease-predictive animal model. I look forward to the continued progress of ATH434 into patient studies."
Alterity will also present cardiac safety data from its Phase 1 Study of ATH434, marking the first time such information will be shared with an international group of clinicians and researchers in the field of neurological disorders. The new safety data, which focuses on evaluating electrical activity in the heart as measured by the QT interval, reinforces previous safety findings from the Phase 1 clinical study – namely, that ATH434 was generally well tolerated at all doses and had an adverse event profile comparable to placebo in adult and older adult volunteers. The data to be presented indicates that there is no evidence of cardiac liability at clinically tested doses.
Alterity's Chief Medical Officer, Dr David Stamler, said: "Drug-induced QT prolongation can pose a significant risk for patients, so a clean bill of health on this safety measure is important as we advance to Phase 2. In searching for new treatments to modify disease progression, we need to develop agents that are as safe as possible."
When paired with favorable pharmacokinetic and safety data previously reported, the new animal and clinical data support the continued development of ATH434 for MSA. The company announced last month that following discussion with the US Food and Drug Administration, it had established a development pathway for ATH434 in MSA and is intending to pursue a global development strategy.
Due to global restrictions in the wake of COVID-19, this year both conferences will be held in a virtual format with MDS 2020 being held 12-16th September, and ANA 2020 to be held 4-9th October.
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Authorization & Additional information
This announcement was authorized by Geoffrey Kempler, CEO and Chairman of Alterity Therapeutics Limited.
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