SciSparc Ltd. (NASDAQ: SPRC), a specialty, clinical-stage
pharmaceutical company focusing on the development of therapies to
treat disorders of the central nervous system (the “Company” or
“SciSparc”), today announced positive topline results from its
investigator-initiated Phase IIa trial at the Sophie & Abraham
Stuchynski Israeli Alzheimer’s Medical Center (“IMCA”), which
suggest that the Company’s proprietary SCI-110 is safe and
tolerable while significantly improving agitation symptoms over
time in elderly population with Alzheimer disease (“AD”) and
agitation.
Agitation manifests over the course of AD’s progression in
almost all affected patients, increasing patients’ suffering and
burden of care. Current clinical practice is to treat with
off-label drugs such as antipsychotics and benzodiazepines, whose
efficacy is debatable, and which have frequent adverse effects.
This Phase IIa clinical trial was an open label trial,
which included 18 patients diagnosed with AD and agitation, to
evaluate the safety, tolerability, and efficacy trends of twice
daily oral administration of SCI-110. Results showed that the
trial met its primary endpoints of the number of drop-out subjects'
due to poor tolerability and the number of trial treatment (SCI
-110) related adverse events, with no SCI-110 related safety issues
observed and no dropouts from the trial due to trial medication.
Specifically, SCI-110 did not cause delirium, oversedation,
hypotension or falls. In addition, analysis of the trial results
showed that the trial also met its secondary end point of change
from baseline to end of treatment in agitation measured by the
Cohen Mansfield Agitation Inventory (“CMAI”) where out of the
fifteen patients treated with SCI-110 at least two consecutive
times during the trial, thirteen of them at doses ranging between
7.5mg-12.5mg/day showed amelioration in agitation with no need to
use rescue medication to control agitation. CMAI is a standard
measure for measuring agitation in people with dementia. The trial
showed that these subjects had amelioration in agitation (paired
t-test: CMAI mean difference (mean +/- SD) =10.6+/-14.88, t= 2.76,
df=14, p=0.015) from baseline (CMAI: 45.87 +/- 15.17) to endpoint
(CMAI: 35.27 +/- 11.09). This resulted in an average reduction of
23% across the entire sample.
In the exploratory end points, a decrease in
eating and feeding difficulties was shown in 11 patients out of the
15 patients treated at least two consecutive times during the trial
as measured by the Edinburgh Feeding Evaluation in Dementia Scale,
although the increase was not significant. No effect from the
treatment was observed on cognitive measurements and sleep quality,
as measured by the Mini Mental State Exam and by the and the Sleep
Disorder Inventory, respectively.
In general, the trial medication was well tolerated with no
negative response to the treatment observed throughout the trial
duration.
"We are extremely pleased with the results announced today, the
tolerability and improvement the patients presented in the symptoms
of the disease are remarkable. Alzheimer disease' patients
experience many different symptoms that deteriorate their condition
including lack of appetite, sleep quality and agitation. The
possibility of improving quality of life for patients and even
reducing the need to use rescue medications is an enormous
accomplishment for SciSparc," said Adi Zuloff-Shani, PhD, Chief
Technology Officer of SciSparc. “These results further support our
efforts to develop proprietary innovative treatments with the
ability to change millions of lives worldwide.”
The trial, titled "Phase IIa Open Label Trial to Evaluate the
Safety, Tolerability and Efficacy Trend of SCI-110 in Patients with
Alzheimer's Disease and Agitation," was conducted at the IMCA under
the leadership of Dr. Alexander Kaplan, MD, principal investigator
and board-certified geriatrician. The trial was a single-arm,
open-label trial, in which each subject received twice daily
treatment of the SCI-110 via oral administration and was
followed-up for up to 39 days consist of 32 treatment days and 7
days follow-up post treatment completion. There were 18 subjects
that participated in the trial and received SCI-110 at the IMCA in
Ramat-Gan, Israel.
About SCI-110
SCI-110 is a unique and proprietary combination of Dronabinol,
an FDA-Approved, synthetic version of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol
(Δ⁹-THC), and CannAmide™, the Company’s proprietary formulation of
Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA).
SCI-110 is one of the innovative combinations of SciSparc
cannabinoid-centric platform. Using its proprietary technology,
SciSparc creates these combinations to augment the inherent
properties of different cannabinoids, in this case, Dronabinol,
enhancing their ability to bind with receptors in the
endocannabinoid system. The potential result, as demonstrated in
pre-clinical studies, is improved efficacy and in turn, lower
dosage requirements and reduced side effects as compared to the
cannabinoid when administered alone.
About AD
AD is an irreversible neurodegenerative disease that causes
progressive and disabling impairment of cognitive functions
including memory, comprehension, language, attention, reasoning,
and judgment. Neuropsychiatric symptoms such as apathy, social
withdrawal, disinhibition, agitation, psychosis, insomnia, poor
appetite, and wandering are also common in the mid to late
stages.
The current pharmacological treatment of agitation in AD has an
unsatisfactory benefit/risk ratio and all used drugs are off label
as evidenced by the fact that no FDA approved drug to treat
agitation in AD exists. Hence, the pharmacological treatment of
agitation in AD is unequivocally, an unmet need.
About SciSparc Ltd. (NASDAQ: SPRC)
SciSparc Ltd. is a specialty clinical-stage pharmaceutical
company led by an experienced team of senior executives and
scientists. SciSparc’s focus is on creating and enhancing a
portfolio of technologies and assets based on cannabinoid
pharmaceuticals. With this focus, the Company is currently engaged
in the following drug development programs based on THC and/or
non-psychoactive cannabidiol (CBD): SCI-110 for the treatment of
Tourette Syndrome, for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and
agitation; SCI-160 for the treatment of pain; and SCI-210 for the
treatment of autism spectrum disorder and status epilepticus. The
Company also owns a controlling interest in a subsidiary whose
business focusses on the sale of hemp-based products on the
Amazon.com marketplace.
Forward-Looking Statements:
This press release contains forward-looking statements within
the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other Federal
securities laws. For example, SciSparc is using forward-looking
statements when it discusses: the potential advantages and benefits
of SCI-110 in the elderly population with Alzheimer disease (AD)
and agitation; and SciSparc’s efforts to develop proprietary
innovative treatments with the ability to change millions of lives
worldwide. Because such statements deal with future events and are
based on SciSparc's current expectations, they are subject to
various risks and uncertainties and actual results, performance or
achievements of SciSparc could differ materially from those
described in or implied by the statements in this press release.
The forward-looking statements contained or implied in this press
release are subject to other risks and uncertainties, including
those discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” in SciSparc's
Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the U.S. Securities and
Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on May 1, 2023, and in subsequent
filings with the SEC. Except as otherwise required by law, SciSparc
disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any
forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they
were made, whether as a result of new information, future events or
circumstances or otherwise.
Investor Contact: IR@scisparc.com Tel:
+972-3-6167055
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