IntelGenx Corp. (TSX:IGX) (OTCQB:IGXT) (the "Company" or
"IntelGenx") today announced that Montelukast VersaFilm® has been
administered to the first Parkinson’s Disease (“PD”) patients in
the Phase 2 (‘MONTPARK’) clinical trial.
MONTPARK (EudraCT number 2023-504278-39-00) is a
Phase 2, 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. MONTPARK is being conducted
at the Karolinska University Hospital and at three other Swedish
University affiliated institutions under IntelGenx’s previously
announced research collaboration with Per Svenningsson, MD, PhD,
who is serving as the study’s Lead Principal Investigator.
“Dosing of the first PD patients in the Phase 2
MONTPARK trial represents a major milestone in the clinical
development of Montelukast VersaFilm®, which is also being
investigated for the treatment of mild to moderate Alzheimer’s
Disease, or AD, in the ongoing ‘BUENA’ Phase 2a study,” said Dwight
Gorham, IntelGenx’s CEO. “As treatment options for
neurodegenerative diseases like PD and AD remain limited, with
studies such as MONTPARK and BUENA, we are taking significant steps
closer to providing patients with a novel, disease-modifying
treatment that also offers a dosing method that is especially
suited to their needs.”
About Parkinson’s Disease
PD is the second most common neurodegenerative
disease after AD, 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.
About Montelukast
VersaFilm®
Montelukast was approved by the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration in 1997 for the treatment of asthma and
seasonal allergic rhinitis. IntelGenx is working to repurpose
Montelukast as a therapeutic to treat neurodegenerative diseases,
such as PD and AD, by re-formulating the drug into an oral
film-based product. IntelGenx's proprietary VersaFilm® technology
is especially suited for special needs patient populations, and the
Montelukast VersaFilm® product offers many distinct advantages over
tablets for PD and AD patients, including the avoidance and
minimization of first-pass-effects, ease of administration,
improved API bioavailability, lower dosing and toxicity, better
acceptability and improved compliance.
In Phase 1 studies, IntelGenx demonstrated that
an oral film formulation of Montelukast is safe and tolerable in
healthy subjects, reduces the first-pass-effect and has a 52%
higher bioavailability compared to the regular Montelukast tablet,
demonstrating a clear advantage of delivering Montelukast via film.
IntelGenx's oral film also crossed the blood-brain barrier, an
essential feature for treating degenerative brain diseases.
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.
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
Forward-Looking Information and
Statements
This document may contain forward-looking
information about IntelGenx's operating results and business
prospects that involve substantial risks and uncertainties.
Statements that are not purely historical are forward-looking
statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and Section 27A of the Securities
Act of 1933, as amended. These statements include, but are not
limited to, statements about IntelGenx's plans, objectives,
expectations, strategies, intentions or other characterizations of
future events or circumstances and are generally identified by the
words "may," "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans,"
"believes," "seeks," "estimates," "could," "would," and similar
expressions. All forward looking statements are expressly qualified
in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Because these
forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and
uncertainties, IntelGenx's actual results could differ materially
from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking
statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such
differences include, but are not limited to, those discussed under
the heading "Risk Factors" in IntelGenx's annual report on Form
10-K, filed with the United States Securities and Exchange
Commission and available at www.sec.gov, and also filed with
Canadian securities regulatory authorities at www.sedarplus.ca.
IntelGenx assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking
statements.
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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