The following data were presented at the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) meeting in Hawaii.

• MAP Pharmaceuticals Inc., of Mountain View, Calif., said data from safety studies showed that exposure to Levadex, an orally inhaled migraine drug, was not higher in smokers, potentially due to reduced pulmonary absorption. It also was quickly absorbed into the bloodstream of both smokers and nonsmokers and the mean half-life and tolerability of the product was similar for both groups. Findings from a separate study showed that neither Levadex, I.V. DHE nor placebo produced clinically significant changes in pulmonary arterial systolic pressure (PASP) or other cardiac functions. However, a statistically higher elevation of PASP was found following I.V. DHE treatment compared to Levadex and placebo treatment. Levadex has completed Phase III testing.

• Neuralstem Inc., of Rockville, Md., reported interim data from the first nine patients in a Phase I trial of human spinal cord stem cells in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, showing that all nine patients remain alive and there were no unresolved serious adverse reactions related to surgery. Of the three ambulatory patients who were treated, all remain ambulatory, with no serious adverse events secondary to surgery. The study is designed to enroll up to 18 patients and, if approved by the FDA and the safety monitoring board, the study will progress to cervical transplantation this summer.

• Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., of Jerusalem, and Active Biotech AB, of Lund, Sweden, reported two-year Phase III results from the ALLEGRO study of laquinimod, an oral, once-daily immunomodulator, in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, showing that the drug produced a statistically significant 23 percent reduction in annualized relapse rate (p = 0.0024), the primary endpoint, along with a significant 36 percent reduction in the risk of confirmed disability progression, as measured by the Expanded Disability Scale (p = 0.0122). Treatment with laquinimod also was associated with a significant reduction in brain tissue loss, as measured by a 33 percent reduction in the progression of brain atrophy (p < 0.0001).