Amarantus’ Lead Product For Parkinson’s Disease Receives Notice of Allowance from Patent Office

Amarantus BioScience Holdings, a biotechnology company developing diagnostic and therapeutic products to address neurological disorders and orphan conditions, recently announced it has received a Notice of Allowance from the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for a United States Patent Application entitled, “Pharmacological Treatment of Parkinson’s Disease.” The patent will address intellectual property protection for eltoprazine, Amarantus’s lead product. The patent also claims coverage of compositions and methods for the administration of eltoprazine to alleviate of rigidity, akinesia, and/or tremor related with Parkinson’s disease.

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive and chronic neurodegenerative condition that leads to motor symptoms like rigidity, tremors, slowed movements, mood disorders, cognitive impairment and autonomic dysfunction. According to the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation, there are almost one million individuals living in the United States with Parkinson’s disease.

Eltoprazine is a small molecule currently being prepared to start its Phase 2b clinical development in order to provide treatment of Parkinson’s disease levodopa-induced dyskinesia (PD-LID). PD-LID is an involuntary and abnormal movement disorder caused by prolonged levodopa-based therapy which is the most frequently prescribed therapy for Parkinson’s disease. PD-LID occurs in about 60 to 80 percent of Parkinson’s patients and is a difficult complication for these patients. Dyskinesia can be extremely debilitating and can compromise quality of life of these patients by prohibiting their capacity to perform daily and routine functions.

“This Notice of Allowance for eltoprazine in Parkinson’s is a meaningful addition to the intellectual property estate we have established related to eltoprazine and comes at an important time as we are gearing up to commence enrollment and patient dosing in our Phase 2b program in PD-LID. We believe eltoprazine has tremendous potential as an important therapy to address a significant unmet need and improve the quality of life for individuals with Parkinson’s disease and their families,” noted Gerald Commissiong, the CEO and President of Amarantus.

The company expects to enroll 60 patients in its Phase 2b clinical study to assess eltoprazine in those with PD in a double-blind, four-way crossover, placebo-controlled, dose range finding, clinical study. The goal is to evaluate the dose response and respective effects, safety and tolerability.