ATLANTA– Alzamend Neuro, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALZN) (“Alzamend”), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing novel products for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (“Alzheimer’s”), bipolar disorder (“BD”), major depressive disorder (“MDD”) and post-traumatic stress disorder (“PTSD”), today announced that it is partnering with Massachusetts General Hospital as its contract research organization (“CRO”) to conduct first of its kind Phase II clinical study of AL001 for treatment of patients with MDD. Massachusetts General Hospital is the original and largest clinical education and research facility of Harvard Medical School/Harvard University and houses the world’s largest hospital-based research program.
Alzamend and Mass General have contracted with Dr. Ovidiu Andronesi MD, PhD, to be the principal investigator on the study. Dr. Andronesi is an Associate Professor of Radiology at Harvard University and the Director of Multinuclear Metabolic Imaging, Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital.
Lithium was the first mood stabilizer approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) and is still a first-line treatment option (considered the “gold standard”) for BD. Moreover, lithium has been marketed for more than 35 years and human toxicology regarding its use has been well characterized, potentially mitigating the regulatory burden for safety data. Although lithium does not have an FDA approved indication for augmentation of an antidepressant in MDD, it has been prescribed off-label for this purpose for decades. While a wide variety of medications have been used historically in this capacity, lithium is one of the few agents that has demonstrated efficacy in multiple randomized controlled trials. Although the ideal role for lithium augmentation has yet to be established, there is evidence to support the clinical practice of adding lithium to conventional antidepressants in pursuit of MDD remission.
The objective of this novel trial is to assess the comparative increase in lithium levels within the brain and its structures as opposed to a commonly marketed lithium salt among MDD patients. By examining the lithium content in the brains and brain structures of patients during treatments, Alzamend aims to predict the minimum dose necessary to achieve the equivalent effectiveness and safety of AL001 in contrast to established lithium salts. Alzamend is optimistic that this study will assist in meeting the regulatory safety standards through the Section 505(b)(2) pathway for approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which is specifically designed for new formulations/ delivery systems of an approved drug.
Alzamend previously completed a Phase IIA multiple ascending dose clinical trial, in which it successfully identified a maximum tolerated dose (“MTD”) for development of AL001, as assessed by an independent safety review committee. This dose, providing lithium at a lithium carbonate equivalent dose of 240 mg 3-times daily, is designed to be unlikely to require lithium therapeutic drug monitoring (“TDM”). Current FDA-approved lithium salts (carbonate and citrate) are limited by a narrow therapeutic window that requires regular TDM of plasma lithium levels and blood chemistry by a clinician to mitigate adverse events. Since conventional lithium salts are eliminated relatively quickly, multiple administrations throughout the day are required to safely reach therapeutic plasma concentrations. Existing lithium drugs suffer from chronic toxicity, poor physicochemical properties, and poor brain bioavailability. However, because lithium is so effective, it is still used clinically despite its narrow therapeutic index.
“We are elated to partner with Massachusetts General Hospital and Dr. Andronesi in this pivotal study for our lead therapeutic candidate AL001,” said Stephan Jackman, Chief Executive Officer of Alzamend. “If we can develop a next-generation lithium product (AL001) with an improved safety profile and enhanced biodistribution in the brain that would not routinely require TDM, it would constitute a major improvement over current lithium-based treatments and positively impact the 21+ million Americans afflicted with MDD. We look forward to providing more details regarding the study’s timeline and market opportunity in the near future.”
