UCB'S NOOTROPIL APPROVED IN UK

UCB Pharma, a subsidiary of UCB of Belgium, has been granted marketing approval for its nootropic drug Nootropil (piracetam) in the UK (see also page 24). The compound is indicated for the treatment of cortical myoclonus.

Nootropil is not indicated in the UK for its most widely-used applications, including intelligence disorders caused by the aging brain and coma. The application for these indications has been pending in the UK for well over ten years, but the regulatory authorities there remain unconvinced that Nootropil is effective in these patients. For similar reasons, the product has not yet been registered in either the USA or Japan.

Cortical myoclonus, a rare disorder, results from damage to the brain, which can be caused, for example, by cerebral anoxia. It is characterized by symptoms such as involuntary and uncontrollable movements, typically lifting and flexing of the arms. Myoclonus is a major feature of some progressive neurological illnesses with extensive degeneration of neurons.