NeuroRx, a company with offices in Wilmington and Israel, has received a notice of allowance from the U.S. Patent Office on its filing or theComposition and Method for Treatment of Depression and Psychosis.
The allowed claim relates to D-Cycloserine’s ability to block the symptom of akathisia caused lurasidone, a drug that is used for the treatment of patients with bipolar depression.
Akathisia is a symptom associated with suicidal behavior, and a known side effect of many antidepressants, according to a release. NeuroRx is also pursuing several other patent claims around the world.
The patent’s inventor, Daniel Javitt, Ph.D., M.D., serves as professor of Psychiatry at ColumbiaUniversity and is the Chair of NeuroRx’s Scientific Advisory Board. Prof. Javitt has been involved in unlocking the molecular basis of psychiatric conditions over the past 25 years.
According to Jonathan Javitt, NeuroRx’s CEO, “The patent supports the intended clinical use and commercial positioning of Cyclurad. This first allowance also speaks to the innovative science behind our company, and we look forward to further advancing our intellectual property position around the world with our other filings. This first intellectual property milestone further solidifies the investment thesis for NeuroRx.”
NeuroRx is planning to initiate clinical studies for NRX-101 by the end of this year.
According to Sherry Glied, Ph.D., former Assistant Vice President of Planning and Evaluation at the US Department of Health and Human Services and a national expert on mental health policy,who serves as a director of NeuroRx, “more than 100 Americans lose their lives to suicide every day, and no approved drug has been shown to decrease suicidal ideation among people with bipolar disorder. In fact, currently marketed antidepressants carry FDA warning labels indicating the potential for increased risk of suicide. If NRX-101 proves itself to decrease suicidal ideation while also treating depression, it has the potential to be a first-in-class lifesaving drug.”
Bipolar depression is a uniquely lethal disease affecting three million Americans. Approximately 100 Americans and more than 2,100 people worldwide with this condition end their lives each day. Although only 10% of the 30 million Americans
Although only 10% of the 30 million Americans suffering from depressive disorders have bipolar disorder, patients with bipolar disorder account for up to 67 percent of all associated suicides, according to the company. Those with
Those with an acute suicidal crisis, as classified by FDA-recognized scales, have a 33 percent chance of death within six months. Of the 5.7 million bipolar disorder patients in the U.S., 15% or approximately 855,000 will ultimately commit suicide. Despite the nature of
No drug is currently approved for suicidal ideation for bipolar depression and patients with risk of suicide have been excluded from clinical studies. NeuroRX is a privately funded pharmaceutical start-up.
