Firm claims new class of CAMOR antagonists effective in nonhuman primate models of PD.

Adolor has been awarded a second, $363,400 tranche of funding by the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) to support the preclinical development of centrally acting mu opioid receptor (CAMOR) antagonists for the treatment of levodopa-induced dyskinesia (LID) in patients with Parkinson disease (PD).

There is currently no FDA-approved treatment for LID, a condition that affects the majority of PD patients who take levodopa (l-DOPA) therapy over many years, Adolor points out. The firm claims to have discovered a family of selective CAMOR antagonists that have shown efficacy following oral administration in validated nonhuman primate models of LID. The new MJFF funding will support ongoing lead-optimization efforts.

“Patients report that dyskinesia is among the most debilitating aspects of Parkinson disease,” notes Todd Sherer, Ph.D., vp of research programs at MJFF. “If successful, our partnership with Adolor could ultimately provide patients an opportunity to more fully benefit from levodopa without the fear of developing a complication that significantly detracts from quality of life.”

News of the grant award to Adolor coincides with the separate announcement today by Newron Pharmaceuticals and Merck Serono of positive data from a Phase III study evaluating the effects of their PD drug safinamide on dyskinesia in mid- to late-stage PD patients.

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