Alteon's Investigational Drug Alagebrium Demonstrates Ability to Improve Functional Membrane Transport in a Rat Model of Chronic
February 20 2007 - 7:30AM
PR Newswire (US)
- 'Best Abstract' Awarded at the 27th National Dialysis Conference
February 18-20, 2007 in Denver, Colorado - PARSIPPANY, N.J., Feb.
20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Alteon Inc. (AMEX:ALT) announced today
that a preclinical study presented at the 27th Annual Dialysis
Conference in Denver, February 18-20, 2007
(http://www.muhealth.org/~dialysis) demonstrates the beneficial
effects of Alteon's drug alagebrium, an A.G.E. crosslink breaker,
in a rat model of peritoneal dialysis. Conducted by Jeong-Ho Lee,
M.D. of the Department of Nephrology, Dongguk University Medical
Center, Kyongju, Korea, the study entitled, "The breakdown of
preformed advanced glycation end products (AGEs) by intraperitoneal
alagebrium" indicates a potential role for alagebrium in the
treatment of kidney diseases and as an adjunct to dialysis. The
investigational team was honored with the "Best Abstract" award at
the conference. AGEs are pathological carbohydrate-protein bonds
that cause tissues, organs and vessels to stiffen and lose function
over time, and have been associated with diabetic complications and
other age-related diseases. The gradual failure of peritoneal
dialysis (PD) may be related to the use of glucose-containing
peritoneal dialysis solutions that lead to accumulation of AGEs on
the peritoneal membrane, and consequent alteration of filtration
and permeability. The study combined both structural and functional
analysis of the peritoneal membrane and looked at the effects of an
AGE breaker, alagebrium, and an AGE formation inhibitor,
pimagedine. In fact, the removal of pre- formed AGEs on the
peritoneal membrane as assessed by microscopic visualization
correlated well with the improvement of permeability
characteristics in this rodent model of long-term PD and the effect
of alagebrium was significantly superior to the effect of
pimagedine. The study provided evidence for the ability of
alagebrium, but not pimagedine, to reduce pre-formed tissue A.G.E.s
and confirmed the biologic activity of alagebrium in cleaving
tissue AGEs. "The ability to remove preformed AGEs has far-reaching
therapeutic implications in many complications of diabetes mellitus
which generate an accelerated burden of vascular and tissue AGEs,"
said Noah Berkowitz, MD, PhD, President and CEO of Alteon. "Dr.
Lee's discoveries complement previous work demonstrating the impact
of AGE's on renal function, and a role for alagebrium in decreasing
proteinuria, by protecting the glomerular basement membrane from
thickening and inflammation. By demonstrating a means by which
alagebrium can protect the peritoneum from damage normally caused
by long term dialysis, this study could support the use of
alagebrium as an adjunct to dialysis -- an orphan indication by
market size, but one linked to considerable healthcare resource
utilization." About ESRD and Peritoneal Dialysis End-stage Renal
Disease (ESRD) is a condition in which the kidneys no longer
function, resulting in an increase of waste products in the body.
Latest statistics show that approximately 10-15% of the more than
200,000 Americans undergoing weekly dialysis for ESRD are
undergoing peritoneal dialysis, a method of dialysis that works on
the same principle as hemodialysis but uses the patient's
peritoneum to filter out waste products rather than a machine. It
is less expensive than hemodialysis, and by some measures more
effective at the start. Yet, it is time consuming, often plagued by
abdominal infections and characterized by a gradual deterioration
in effectiveness, thought to be associated with the accumulation of
AGEs. About Alteon Alteon is a product-based biopharmaceutical
company engaged in the development of small molecule drugs to treat
and prevent the inflammatory aspects of cardiovascular disease and
diabetes. The Company has identified several promising product
candidates that it believes represent novel approaches to some of
the largest pharmaceutical markets. Alagebrium, a product of
Alteon's drug discovery and development program, is being developed
for the treatment of diastolic heart failure. This disease
represents a rapidly growing market of unmet medical need,
particularly common among diabetic patients. Alagebrium has
demonstrated relevant clinical activity in two Phase 2 clinical
trials in heart failure, as well as in animal models of heart
failure and nephropathy, among others. Alagebrium has been tested
in approximately 1,000 patients in multiple Phase 1 and Phase 2
clinical trials, which represents a sizeable human safety database.
The Company's portfolio also includes orally bioavailable,
organoselenium mimics of glutathione peroxidase that metabolize
lipid peroxides and have the potential to limit myocardial damage
subsequent to a myocardial infarction. Alteon's lead compound for
that program, ALT-2074, is in Phase 2 clinical trials. The Company
also has rights to a diagnostic assay that identifies a large
subset of diabetic patients at highest risk for cardiovascular
complications, because of a defect in oxidized lipid metabolism
that results in increased cardiovascular inflammation. For more
detailed information about Alteon's research and development,
please visit Alteon's website at http://www.alteon.com/. Any
statements contained in this press release that relate to future
plans, events or performance are forward-looking statements that
involve risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to,
those relating to the impact of the preclinical results described
in this press release on the future clinical development of
Alteon's product candidates (including the possibility that early
preclinical or clinical trial results may not be predictive of
results that will be obtained in large-scale testing or that any
clinical trials will not demonstrate sufficient safety and efficacy
to obtain requisite approvals or will not result in marketable
products), Alteon's ability to obtain sufficient funding to
continue as a going concern and continue the development of
alagebrium and ALT-2074, technology and product development
regulatory approval processes, intellectual property rights and
litigation, competitive products, and other risks identified in
Alteon's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Further information on risks faced by Alteon are detailed under the
caption "Risk Factors" in Alteon's Annual Report on Form 10-K for
the year ended December 31, 2005 and in its subsequent Quarterly
Reports on Form 10-Q. These filings are available on a website
maintained by the Securities and Exchange Commission at
http://www.sec.gov/. The information contained in this press
release is accurate as of the date indicated. Actual results,
events or performance may differ materially. Alteon undertakes no
obligation to publicly release the result of any revision to these
forward- looking statements that may be made to reflect events or
circumstances after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of
unanticipated events. DATASOURCE: Alteon Inc. CONTACT: Investor
Relations, +1-201-818-5537 Web site: http://www.alteon.com/
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