Hungary Richter, US Forest Announce Positive Drug Tests
Edited Press Release
BUDAPEST -(Dow Jones)- Hungarian drug maker Richter Gedeon Nyrt. (RICHTER.BU)
and Forest Laboratories Inc. (FRX) announced positive drug test results on
cariprazine Thursday in a stock exchange filing.
"The results strengthen our commitment to conduct original research in the
field of central nervous system disorders, where our team has excellent
expertise," the release cited Erik Bogsch, chief executive of Richter as saying.
Based on the data - still subject to a complete review of the full results -
and the previously announced Phase II results in patients suffering from acute
mania associated with bipolar I disorder, the companies intend to initiate Phase
3 trials for both indications in early 2010. "Our strategy to invest in
promising product opportunities ... continues to bear fruit and we are looking
forward to advancing to the late-stage cariprazine development program," the
release cited Howard Solomon, Chairman and Chief Executive of Forest
Laboratories as saying.
The companies announced top-line results from a Phase IIb clinical trial of
the novel, investigational antipsychotic agent cariprazine for the treatment of
acute exacerbation of schizophrenia.
PANSS, or Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, data indicated that patients
with schizophrenia treated with cariprazine experienced significant symptom
improvement compared to placebo patients within the first week of treatment and
at each subsequent time point studied.
Cariprazine is currently also undergoing Phase II clinical trials in patients
with Bipolar Depressive Disorder and as adjunctive therapy in Major Depressive
Disorder.
Discovered by researchers at Richter and licensed in the United States and
Canada by Forest Laboratories in 2004, cariprazine is an orally active D3/D2
partial agonist with preferential binding to D3 receptors.
Richter Web site: www.richter.hu
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
10-29-090432ET
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