Medivation's of Ph II Dimebon HD trial positive

USA-based Medivation says that its Dimebon (dimebolin) improved the cognitive function of Huntington's disease patients in a Phase II trial, as measured by mini-mental state examination tests.

The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted at 16 centers in the USA and UK in collaboration with the Huntington Study Group. The study enrolled 90 HD patients, with half randomized to Dimebon and the remainder to placebo for a three-month dosing period. The primary endpoint of the trial was safety and tolerability, the secondary endpoint was efficacy.

The overall incidence of adverse events was lower in the Dimebon group than in the placebo arm, according to the firm. This result is consistent with a similar finding from an earlier Alzheimer's disease trial in which Dimebon-treated patients had fewer serious adverse events after one year of treatment. Of particular note, HD patients treated with Dimebon had fewer falls (9%) than those on placebo (16%). The most common adverse event in the Dimebon group was headache, which occurred in 19% of treated patients compared to 7% of those on placebo. Headaches were generally mild in severity. Dry mouth and depressed mood were similar in both treated and placebo groups (4% and 7%, respectively).