IntelGenx Receives Approval to Conduct ’MONTPARK’ Montelukast VersaFilm® Phase 2 Clinical Trial in Patients with Parkinson's Disease
November 14 2023 - 7:30AM
IntelGenx Corp. (TSX:IGX) (OTCQB:IGXT) (the "Company" or
"IntelGenx") today announced that the Swedish Medical Products
Agency (“MPA”), the Swedish Ethical Review Authority, and the
Regional Biobank Centre have approved the planned clinical study to
investigate the use of IntelGenx’s Montelukast VersaFilm® for the
treatment of Parkinson’s Disease (“PD”).
PD is the second most common neurodegenerative
disease after Alzheimer's disease, with an estimated 9 million
patients globally and 1 million patients in the United States.1,2
In the United States it is estimated that 90,000 new patients will
be diagnosed with PD every year.2 No neuroprotective or
disease-modifying treatments are currently available. The current
standard treatment of PD motor dysfunction is based on the
enhancement of dopaminergic transmission and involves the
administration of L-dopa. Evidence from multiple patient studies
and animal models has shown a significant immune component during
the course of the disease, highlighting immunomodulation as a
potential treatment strategy.3 Montelukast is a CysLT1 antagonist
which decreases neuroinflammation by inhibiting CysLT1. Early
results have indicated its potential usefulness for the treatment
of various neurodegenerative disorders like PD and Alzheimer’s
Disease.
The Phase 2 MONTPARK study (CT number
2023-504278-39-00) is a randomized, double-blind,
placebo-controlled, parallel arm, multicentre trial that will
investigate the efficacy of oral high-dose Montelukast on the
progression of early-to-moderate PD. The study will enroll up to 90
patients who will receive 30 mg Montelukast VersaFilm® or placebo
twice daily for 18-months, followed by a 3-month washout period.
Eligible candidates must be on levodopa treatment at the time of
enrolment and may also be on other dopaminergic symptomatic agents.
The study is expected to begin recruiting in Q1 2024 with an
expected study duration of approximately 24-to-30 months, depending
on the recruitment rate.
The study will be conducted at the Karolinska
University Hospital and at 3 other Swedish University affiliated
institutions under IntelGenx’s previously announced research
collaboration with Per Svenningsson, MD, PhD, who will serve as the
Study’s Principal Investigator. Prof. Svenningsson will sponsor the
study through a 20 million Swedish Crowns grant (approx. $2 million
USD) awarded by the Swedish Research Council, Sweden’s largest
governmental research funding body.
“We are delighted that this trial has been
approved by the MPA and look forward to beginning patient
recruitment as soon as possible,” said Dwight Gorham, IntelGenx’s
CEO. “We are excited to be collaborating with Prof. Svenningsson, a
PD pathogenesis expert who previously demonstrated the safety and
tolerability of 40 mg Montelukast in PD patients. MONTPARK will be
evaluating daily Montelukast doses of 60 mg per day, making
Montelukast VersaFilm® a more attractive dosing method due to its
increased bioavailability (approx. 50% improvement over tablets)
and minimizing the need on a daily basis for the requirement of
numerous 10 mg Montelukast tablets.”
Prof. Svenningsson stated, “Our study teams are
quite eager and ready to commence the study with the novel
IntelGenx Montelukast VersaFilm® due to the beneficial features of
the film in terms of ease of use, better compliance and
bioavailability”.
References
1 World Health Organization:
https://www.who.int/news/item/14-06-2022-launch-of-who-s-parkinson-disease-technical-brief#:~:text=Globally%2C%20the%20prevalence%20of%20Parkinson,million%20individuals%20living%20with%20PD
2 Parkinson’s Foundation:
https://www.parkinson.org/understanding-parkinsons/statistics
3 Wallin, J; Svenningsson, P. Potential Effects
of Leukotriene Receptor Antagonist Montelukast in Treatment of
Neuroinflammation in Parkinson’s Disease. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2021,
22, 5606
About IntelGenx
IntelGenx is a leading drug delivery company
focused on the development and manufacturing of pharmaceutical
films.
IntelGenx’s superior film technologies,
including VersaFilm®, DisinteQ™, VetaFilm® and transdermal
VevaDerm™, allow for next generation pharmaceutical products that
address unmet medical needs. IntelGenx’s innovative product
pipeline offers significant benefits to patients and physicians for
many therapeutic conditions.
IntelGenx's highly skilled team provides
comprehensive pharmaceuticals services to pharmaceutical partners,
including R&D, analytical method development, clinical
monitoring, IP and regulatory services. IntelGenx's
state-of-the-art manufacturing facility offers full service by
providing lab-scale to pilot- and commercial-scale production. For
more information, visit www.intelgenx.com.
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prospects that involve substantial risks and uncertainties.
Statements that are not purely historical are forward-looking
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Act of 1933, as amended. These statements include, but are not
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words "may," "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans,"
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the heading "Risk Factors" in IntelGenx's annual report on Form
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Commission and available at www.sec.gov, and also filed with
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IntelGenx assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking
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Source: IntelGenx Technologies Corp.
For IntelGenx:
Stephen KilmerInvestor Relations(647)
872-4849stephen@kilmerlucas.com
Or
Andre Godin, CPA, CAPresident and CFOIntelGenx Corp.(514)
331-7440 ext 203andre@intelgenx.com
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