Astellas/NeuroSearch initiate Ph Ib trial of ACR16

Danish drugmaker NeuroSearch's development and license partner Astellas Pharma has enrolled and dosed the first patients in a clinical Phase Ib study with the drug candidate ACR16 for the treatment of schizophrenia. The placebo-controlled, multiple-dose escalating trial will evaluate the safety and tolerability of the NeuroSearch-originiated agent in schizophrenics. The study will be performed in the USA and include up to 60 patients, and will also measure efficacy using the Positive and Negative Symptoms' Scale. The Japanese drug major holds the rights to the dopaminergic stabilizer for all indications except Huntington's disease, where NeuroSearch has the rights in North America and Europe. The Danish firm is preparing for the initiation of clinical Phase III studies with ACR16 for the treatment of HD.