deCODE Initiates Enrollment in Phase I Clinical Trial of DG041 for atherosclerosis

11-Mar-2005

deCODE genetics announced that it has begun enrolling subjects in a Phase I clinical trial for DG041, the company's developmental compound for the treatment of atherosclerosis of the extremeties, commonly known as peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD). PAOD is a progressive and crippling disease that affects approximately 20% of people over the age of 70 in the industrialized world, and for which there is currently no effective drug treatment. The ascending-dose, single-blind, placebo controlled, randomized trial will evaluate the safety as well as the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profile of DG041.

"DG041 is the second compound we have entered into clinical trials, and the most advanced to have been developed entirely from our own target and drug discovery capabilities. This program is yet another example of what we believe is the fundamental advantage to our human genetics approach to drug development. By targeting the protein made by a major disease gene, we are in a position to manipulate the key biological pathway involved in the disease. We believe this enables us to develop new drugs for common diseases that have the potential to be effective and specific. Our preclinical data on DG041 were very encouraging and we look forward to sharing with you the results of this trial in a few months time," said Kari Stefansson, CEO of deCODE.

DG041 is a novel, first-in-class, orally-administered small molecule which has been shown in preclinical studies to be a selective and potent antagonist of the EP3 receptor for prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), inhibiting human platelet aggregation in a dose-dependent manner. deCODE selected EP3 as a target in PAOD through its population genetics research, which linked variations in the gene encoding EP3 to increased risk of the disease.

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