The drug Dimebon, which has shown some significant promise for Alzheimer's, has now registered positive results in a trial designed to test the therapy's ability to improve thinking, learning and memory skills for people who suffer from Huntington's. Dr. Karl Kieburtz of the University of Rochester in New York says that the drug also appears to be safe and well tolerated.
"In diseases like Huntington's disease where there is degeneration of the brain, one thing we look for is compounds that might favorably influence that and sometimes those compounds come out of things that can slow natural aging," Kieburtz tells Reuters.
The study enrolled 91 people and was sponsored by Medivation, which is now in late-stage testing of the drug. It was originally sold as an antihistamine in Russia. Medivation has posted surprisingly strong mid-stage results for the therapy in Alzheimer's. Medivation CEO David Hung plans to start tests of altered forms of Dimebon for heart failure, Parkinson's and a range of other diseases.
Late-stage Alzheimer's data is expected in the first half of this year, and a number of analysts expect Medivation's stock to spike or plunge depending on the results.
- here's the story from Reuters