NeuroSearch Sees Successful Product Year

NeuroSearch, the Denmark-based neuropharmaceutical company, is focusedon the development of new therapeutics for the treatment of central nervous system diseases and, through its work, has attracted the interest of a number of pharmaceutical majors including Bristol-Myers Squibb, Warner-Lambert and Glaxo Wellcome. This year has been a particularly good one for the company, with a number of new compounds moving into clinical development.

NeuroSearch was founded in 1989 and was listed on the Copenhagen Stock Exchange in 1996. The company's initial public offering was oversubscribed by more than 17 times and generated 237.9 million kroner ($35.9 million) in new capital. However, for the first six months of 1997, NeuroSearch announced a heavier-than-expected net loss of 20.7 million kroner; this was due to a 53.2% increase in R&D costs (Marketletter September 8).

Ph III Brasofensine Trials In '99? The company's most advanced product is brasofensine (NS2214), a dopamine uptake inhibitor for the treatment of Parkinson's disease, which is being developed in collaboration with Bristol-Myers Squibb. Preclinical studies indicate that the drug prevents the uptake of an endogenous toxin (N-methyl-salsolinol), and protects the remaining dopamine neurons; PET scans have demonstrated that at the time of initial symptoms, patients still have about 50% of their dopamine nerve terminals.