TIDMETX
RNS Number : 5895L
e-Therapeutics plc
14 January 2009
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| Press Release | 14 January 2009 |
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e-Therapeutics plc
("e-Therapeutics" or "the Company")
Positive Phase IIa clinical trial of antidepressant ETS6103
e-Therapeutics plc (AIM: ETX), the drug discovery and development company, is
pleased to report the positive results from a randomised controlled Phase IIa
clinical trial of ETS6103, in patients with severe major depressive disorder.
Patients in the control group were given amitryptiline, one of the most widely
used tricyclic antidepressant treatments.
Patients' depression scores were measured in each group before commencing either
therapy and at fortnightly visits using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale
(HDRS).
ETS6103 significantly and consistently reduced depression scores in all patients
during the 12-week treatment period. At the start of the trial, the modal
depression score for ETS6103 patients was 23, which reflects severe depression.
By visit three, the modal depression score for ETS6103 patients reduced to 4,
and by visit six their modal depression score was zero, which reflects the
absence of depressive symptoms.
There was statistically significant improvement in depression scores for
patients taking ETS6103 between visit one and visit two (p<0.000005), between
visit two and visit three (p<0.03), and between visits four and five (p<0.05).
The improvement at the other successive visits tended to significance (3-4:
p<0.07; 5-6 p=0.07), even though by these later visits patients' depression
scores were already low.
The onset of antidepressant activity was significantly faster for ETS6103 than
for amitryptiline. The improvement between receiving the first dose and the
first post-dosing visit was statistically significantly greater for patients
taking ETS6103 than for those taking amitryptiline (p<0.05).
Dr Royston Drucker, Chief Medical Officer of e-Therapeutics, said: "We are
delighted by these results. ETS6103 showed comparable efficacy to a tricyclic,
but with faster onset, and a side-effect profile superior to that of any
tricyclic or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressant. With
further supportive clinical data, this could be the future treatment of choice
for depression."
Professor Malcolm Young, CEO of e-Therapeutics, commented: "Sufficient clinical
information is now available to proceed with several larger patient studies. We
are especially interested in the therapeutic efficacy of ETS6103 in patients who
do not respond to SSRI antidepressants, since approximately one third of all
depressed patients do not benefit from these widely prescribed drugs. This
further success from the Company's drug development activities provides further
validation of e-Therapeutics' drug discovery strategy."
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| For further information: | |
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| e-Therapeutics plc | www.etherapeutics.co.uk |
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| Malcolm Young | +44 (0) 191 233 1317 |
| malcolm@etherapeutics.co.uk | |
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| Nominated Advisor: | |
| WH Ireland | |
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| Katy Mitchell | +44 (0)113 394 6628 |
| katy.mitchell@wh-ireland.co.uk | |
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| | |
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| Media enquiries: | |
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| Abchurch | www.abchurch-group.com |
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| Heather Salmond/Stephanie Cuthbert/Simone | +44 (0) 20 7398 7700 |
| Alves | |
| stephanie.cuthbert@abchurch-group.com | |
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Notes to Editors
e-Therapeutics plc is a drug discovery and development company. It has developed
proprietary computational systems to swiftly and accurately analyse and predict
how medicines interact with cells in the body. This optimises the probability of
identifying drug candidates with desirable efficacy and low toxicity. The
Company applies its novel, systematic approach to three areas of activity:
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| * | discovery of new drugs; |
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| * | discovering novel uses for existing drugs; and |
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| * | analysis of the interactions between different drugs. |
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Amongst e-Therapeutics' pipeline of compounds in development are novel
antibiotics that kill the "superbug" MRSA, and a novel cancer chemotherapy that
kills malignant cells at safe doses in a very short time. Other candidate
therapies in development are targeted at atherosclerosis, asthma and depression.
The Company is currently in negotiation with a number of pharmaceutical
companies, and is progressing the preclinical and clinical development of these
products.
This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
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