It's taken awhile to get this article ready so our apologies to Ken and Hen.
According to Phytopharm, Cogane also known within the company as PYM50028, is a non-peptide orally bioavailable neurotropic factor inducer that crosses the blood-brain barrier. Cogane stimulates the release of neuronal growth factors and increases neurite outgrowth by elevating the levels of GDNF, glial derived neurotrophic factors. Cogane also increases the levels BDNF, brain derived neurotropic factor. Neurotrophic factors can aid the survival of neurons.
GDNF is a protein which has been encoded by the GDNF gene. In its recombitant form it has been shown to promote the survival of dopamine neurons for PD and motorneurons for ALS. GDNF also promotes the survival of serotoninergic and catecholamingeric neurons. The catecholamingeric neurons control a variety of cognitive, motor and endocrine functions. They are associated with many psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders.
The hope for Cogane is that it lives up to its neuroprotective and neurorestorative potential with safety of use which means that while it might be not only a treatment as a PD progression reducer or even progression reversal, it might also be a cure. It may also become a treatment for Alzheimer's disease.
The largest problem with bringing Cogane to the market is the enormous amounts of money that are needed to bring a drug through the requisite trials and application processes. Phytopharm has done a restructuring to reduce costs and to extend its available cash to September 2010. They are also considering other options and are also seeking grant funding. The Michael J Fox Foundation awarded a $1.16 million grant towards the dosage trials. The phase 1 trials has been completed and phase 1b is currently recruiting. The Cure Parkinson's Trust partly funded the latest phase and has since committed to ongoing support to develop Cogane.
One important thing to note is that Phytopharm is not the only company working on the GDNF approach to treating Parkinson's disease. During the next few weeks we will provide information of the status of other GDNF research and development as well as clinical trials.
Good news for Phytopharm is that in March the stock tracking of PYM on London Stock Market was 4.25p Footse (down 3 days later to 4.13p) back again to 4.25p by 3/27/09. As of this morning, PYM was at 6.88p (up 1.93) Results of the Phase 1b trial are expected in the last quarter of 2009 and then Phytopharm can move on to Phase II.
Addendum - June 2010
Phase 1b has been completed and Phytopharm recently announced that they have received FDA protocol approval to begin Phase II clinical trials for Cogane. Enrollment will begin in late 2010. We'll be posting that information and links to enrollment when it is announced.
You can read the Phytopharm press release here
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In my very ignorant oppinion should Cogane be the wonder drug that the Parkinson's sufferers have been sniffing around for the last decade and should the recent trials be successful then the value of the shares must increase very considerbly. However should the trial be desasterous the shares shouldn't drop dramatically because of the HD poker that Phytopharm have in the fire. Therefore an investment in this company has to be a win, win situation or at the worst case scenario 'a win stay around the same' Situation.
ReplyDeleteThe comments I have just made are based on common sense and not huge knowledge in stocks and shares.
How is it going today 20 august 2010 ?
ReplyDeleteTo date there is no assigned trial number for the Phase II Clinical Trial of Cogane (PYM50028) but according to Phytopharm,
ReplyDelete"We have initiated the necessary preparatory and regulatory activities for the planned CoganeTM Phase II clinical study to demonstrate efficacy" for people with Parkinson's disease.
There is no lack of interest in Cogane which is also being considered for ALS. According to Phytopharm, they will proceed with either Myogane or Cogane for Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
My Mother passed away with Parkinson's disease. In the beginning She was slow movement in 1988 or 1989 she was diagnose with PD, she was 64 years Since then she started taking Levodopa/carbiopa(sinement) she was doing ok for few years but, after 1999 disease was getting worse. since my sister is Doctor she tried other medications .
ReplyDeleteDisease got worst like she needed lot of assistance because it was hard walking and other motor functions. From 2000, her motor function got worst. She was taking the medication 4-6 times for day. In 2006 she passed away.
Unfortunately My sister and brother developed PD, my sister got first @ age of 58 years in 2003 after two years later my brother got it who is two years younger to my sister. Right now my brother is doing better than my sister because my sister is not taking regularly medication because she have lots of side effects like throwing up, Muscle Stiffness and Rigidity, her left hand gets stiff.
She has signed up for trial of Levodopa-Carbidopa Intestinal Gel in Levodopa-Responsive Parkinson's and we did not hear from them. I got latest Clinical Research News about Cogane drug I want to know more about that drug. I hope this drug a future treatment and cure.
The Cogane Phase II trial is now enrolling. We have posted the link in the right column under Clinical Trials.
ReplyDeleteYou can also cut and paste the following url:
http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01060878?term=cogane&rank=2
Is your sister following any exercise or nutritional supplement regimen?
My husband has been recently diagnosed with early Parkinsons - he has been asked to participate in the Phase II survey and is really concerned regarding the side effects of this experimental drug. If he ends up getting the drug and its effective, what happens after the survey when the drug is unavailable?
ReplyDeleteFor a definitive answer, put this excellent question to the folks running the trial for Phytopharm.
ReplyDeleteThe good news is that it usually standard practice for the sponsors of the trial to continue to supply the product at no cost to participants who want to remain on it until it is brought to market. At that point he will pay just as any other patient will pay.
Congratulations to your husband, there are tens of thousands of people who would like the opportunity to participate in the PYM50028 - Cogane trial (CONFIDENT-PD)
Although this is a placebo control trial, often at some point people who show no change are allowed to move to a subsequent open label trial, Please ask about that possibility as well.
http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00875316?term=PYM50028&rank=3 is the completed Safety and Tolerability Study in Healthy Volunteers. It was Phase 1.
Congratulations to you and your husband, Cogane does show promise as a disease modifying treatment of motor symptoms and possibly of cognitive symptoms as well.
Please check back with us through Contact Us if you wish.