Neurex Corp. and Ono Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. of Osaka, Japan,have signed a research and development agreement forcompounds to treat neurodegenerative and psychiatricdisorders.

The collaboration will combine Neurex's peptide-basedneuronal calcium channel blockers with Ono's library of smallmolecules. Neurex has isolated a specific channel proteinthrough which calcium enters the neuronal channels. Thisprotein binds to Neurex's peptides.

The companies will be developing peptides for use astherapeutics that can be infused for indications such as strokeand cardiac arrest, said J. Ramachandran, Neurex's vicepresident of research.

Neurex's peptides will also be used to screen Ono's smallmolecule library for compounds that will bind to the channelprotein but can be taken orally for chronic disorders such assenile dementia.

Excess calcium is released as part of a cascade of events thatbegins with an injury, such as a stroke. That leads to a drop inthe oxygen supply, which in turn causes release of too muchglutamate or other neurotransmitters. This causes excesscalcium entry, followed by neuronal damage.

Ono will pay an unspecified sum to Neurex for three years,with an option to renew for another three years. Ono will haveexclusive marketing rights in Japan and East Asia for allcompounds discovered. Neurex will have exclusive marketingrights in the rest of the world for peptide-based compounds.The companies will share marketing rights, except in Japanand East Asia, for all other compounds.

The main competitor for the privately held Menlo Park, Calif.-based Neurex is Novo-Nordisk of Denmark, which is developinga type of glutamate inhibitor, said Ramachandran. Othercompanies working in the area include Cortex PharmaceuticalsInc. and Cambridge NeuroScience Inc.

-- Karen Bernstein BioWorld Staff

(c) 1997 American Health Consultants. All rights reserved.