DiaGenic to Provide MCI Biomarkers for Merz Pharmaceuticals
announced that it has signed an option agreement with Merz Pharmaceuticals
GmbH, an innovative developer of drugs for treatment of illnesses in
neurology and psychiatry, to gain access to biomarkers for Mild Cognitive
Impairment (MCI), increasingly considered a transitional stage to Alzheimer’s
disease. The biomarkers are intended to be used to identify patients with MCI
prone to converting to Alzheimer’s disease for inclusion into Merz’ clinical
trial programs. Merz will also receive an option for non-exclusive rights to
further biomarkers under the terms of the agreement. Financial details were
not disclosed.
“This agreement with Merz is a major milestone in DiaGenic’s development,
marking both further recognition of our blood-based gene expression
diagnostic concept and a new market area,” said DiaGenic CEO
Christensen
of prodromal Alzheimer’s disease. The agreement with Merz will enable us to
accelerate our ongoing multicenter study by recruiting additional sites.
There is a growing consensus that using biomarkers will be critical in order
to accelerate development of Alzheimer’s drugs, especially those with
disease-modifying or preventive therapeutic effect. We look forward to
working with Merz to provide further evidence. In general, patient
stratification for clinical trials using biomarkers is a rapidly growing
sector and we feel we are poised to make a significant contribution,”
concludes Christensen.
One of the new sites will be the
Prof.
are very pleased to take part in this very exciting research and I strongly
believe in the utility of DiaGenic technology using peripheral gene
expression to identify biomarkers for CNS disorders.”
Merz’ goal is to offer novel therapeutic options of additional benefit to
the patients by developing innovative new drugs within Merz’ main area of
expertise, the treatment of CNS disorders. Dr.
Pharmaceuticals GmbH, explains: “There is an urgent need for biomarkers that
can accurately identify MCI converters. We have identified DiaGenic’s
technology as being one of the front-runners in this area. The partnership
with DiaGenic for biomarker development should lead to improved clinical
trial recruitment and, thus, support Merz’ endeavors in reaching our
ambitious goal of bringing Alzheimer drugs to the patient, thus responding to
currently unmet medical needs.”
About Alzheimer’s disease
Alzheimer’s disease is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder. In its early
stages, it impairs cognitive function, causing memory loss, language
deterioration, and reduced ability to process visual information, delusional
thinking and poor judgment. As the disease progresses, cerebral deterioration
severely compromises basic cognition and daily function. At a more advanced
stage of the illness, the increasing loss of independence leads to an
increased need for supervision and possibly even full long-term care.
Alzheimer’s dementia, clearly the most devastating of neurodegenerative
diseases, poses a global public health challenge and will continue to do so
for generations to come. The Alzheimer’s Association estimated two years ago
that 4.5 million Americans and 15 million people worldwide suffer from
Alzheimer’s disease. These figures are projected to nearly triple that number
by 2050 due to the ageing of populations in the developed world.
About Merz Pharmaceuticals GmbH
Merz Pharmaceuticals researches, develops, produces and distributes
innovative pharmaceutical products in the areas of neurology and psychiatry
as well as in aesthetic dermatology and metabolism. In the area of
Alzheimer’s research, Merz Pharmaceuticals has achieved a leading position
with the first active ingredient worldwide for the treatment of moderate to
severe Alzheimer’s disease. The company is headquartered in
Main,
About DiaGenic ASA
DiaGenic is an innovative Norwegian biotechnology company that seeks to
create value for patients, partners, and investors by developing new and more
patient friendly methods for early detection of diseases. DiaGenic is
currently a world leader in analyzing gene expression signatures related to
disease in easily available clinical samples such as peripheral blood. This
unique method is based on the principle that even when a disease is localized
at a specific part of the body, secondary responses, which are also
characteristic of the disease, can be measured in other parts. Significant
potential in numerous diseases such as breast cancer and Alzheimer’s disease
has been identified. The company has been granted patents in the U.S. and
visit http://www.diagenic.com
SOURCE Merz Pharmaceuticals GmbH and DiaGenic ASA