Memory doses first schizophrenia patient in trial

The USA's Memory Pharmaceuticals has dosed the first patient in a Phase II study of the effect of R3487/MEM 3454, a nicotinic alpha-7 partial  agonist, on electrophysiological biomarkers in patients with  schizophrenia.

The double-blind, placebo-controlled biomarker study will enroll 12  non-smoking patients with stable schizophrenia who are receiving certain  types of antipsychotic drugs. Subjects will be randomized to receive  R3487/MEM 3454 and placebo in a five-way cross-over design. Each subject  will participate in five treatment periods. During each period, subjects  will receive single doses of either 1mg, 5mg, 15mg, or 50mg of R3487/MEM  3454 or placebo, with a four to 10-day wash-out period between each  treatment period. The primary outcome of the trial is the effect of  R3487/MEM 3454 on P50 sensory gating and the potential utility of P50 as  an efficacy biomarker for nicotinic alpha-7 agonists in schizophrenia.  Secondary outcome measurements include additional electrophysiological  biomarkers, called mismatch negativity and P300.

Chief medical officer Stephen Murray said: "this biomarker trial  complements our ongoing Phase II trial of R3487/MEM 3454 in cognitive  impairment associated with schizophrenia, and we look forward to  reporting the results in the third quarter of 2009." The study is being  funded by Swiss drug major Roche under the companies' nicotinic alpha-7  receptor agonist collaboration agreement.