In Toronto, Two International Leaders Share One Goal: Slow or Halt the Progression of Alzheimer's Disease with the Launch of Phase 3 Clinical Trials

Professor Claude Wischik, Executive Chairman of TauRx Therapeutics and Dr. Sharon Cohen, Medical Director of the Toronto Memory Program Announce the Canadian Launch of Pivotal Alzheimer's Research

TORONTO, June 10, 2013 /CNW/ - In advance of the upcoming National Memory Screening Day, June 11, 2013 in Canada, TauRx Therapeutics Ltd. and Toronto Memory Program jointly announce the Canadian launch of the Phase 3 clinical trials of TauRx Therapeutics' LMTX™, the company's investigational treatment aimed at slowing or halting the progression of mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease.

On a visit to Toronto this past week, TauRx Therapeutics Executive Chairman and Co-Founder, Prof. Claude Wischik met with Sharon Cohen, M.D., F.R.C.P.(C.), Medical Director and staff at the Toronto Memory Program, the first of at least five medical centres in Canada that will carry out the Phase 3 Alzheimer's trials.

"The approval given by Health Canada to TauRx to initiate these Phase 3 clinical studies marks an important step forward in our quest to find a disease-modifying agent that can help slow or halt the progression of Alzheimer's disease for Canadians and others," said Prof. Claude Wischik. "Unlike cancer where we often talk about 'survivors', in Alzheimer's there are no 'survivors'. Alzheimer's is a terminal illness, so a medicine that can keep people functioning and at home is essential."

The four drugs currently approved for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease target the symptoms rather than the causes of Alzheimer's. TauRx's clinical trials for mild to moderate Alzheimer's and for behavioral variant Frontotemporal Dementia, a rare neurodegenerative disease caused by a similar form of pathology as in Alzheimer's, are the first Phase 3 trials of a Tau Aggregation Inhibitor (TAI), which targets and dissolves 'tau tangles' in the brain, and directly linked to the remorseless development of the disease. If successful, LMTX™ will be the first tau-based treatment approach for Alzheimer's disease.

"Toronto Memory Program is pleased to be one of the research centres selected to conduct these important clinical trials," said Dr. Sharon Cohen. "Clinical trials offer significant hope to many people and their carers when so far nothing works long term for this terminal medical condition." She adds, "We hope that these clinical trials will confirm results seen from the earlier Phase 2 clinical trials, and demonstrate a positive outcome on progression of this devastating disease."

Canada plays an important role in TauRx Phase 3 study program that will involve over 1,700 patients in more than 20 countries. These studies culminate three decades of research by Professor Claude Wischik and colleagues at TauRx, a spin-out company from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, established 11 years ago.

According to the Canada's Alzheimer's Society, there are currently an estimated 500,000 Canadians with Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia, and within a generation, this number will more than double to between 1 and 1.3 million Canadians. Currently there are no treatments available to stop or reverse Alzheimer's and the disease is now one of the leading causes of death in Canada.

For more information and updates about the Phase 3 clinical trials in Alzheimer's disease or TauRx Therapeutics, patients and carers can visit www.alzdirectory.org

About Toronto Memory Program
Toronto Memory Program (TMP) is an independent, state-of?the-art medical facility and research centre for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's disease and related disorders TMP Provides expert medical care, access to treatments under development, education and support for patients, family, caregivers, and health care professionals. As one of Canada's most active Alzheimer's clinical research sites, the program has a professional staff of over 25 individuals dedicated to improving outcomes for those living with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders. For more information about TMP call [phone] or visit www.TorontoMemoryProgram.com or join our Facebook community www.facebook.com/TorontoMemoryProgram

About TauRx

TauRx Therapeutics Ltd. was established in Singapore in 2002 with the aim of developing new treatments and diagnostics for a range of neurodegenerative diseases. The company's tau aggregation inhibitor, LMTX™, is currently in global Phase 3 clinical trials for Alzheimer's and Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD). LMTX™ targets aggregates of abnormal fibres of tau protein that form inside nerve cells in the brain, giving rise to tangles. TauRx's primary research facilities are in Aberdeen, Scotland. For more information, please visit: http://www.taurx.com

SOURCE: TauRx Therapeutics Ltd.

Elizabeth Puller: [phone], Sylvie Berrebi: [phone], Email: [email protected]

http://www.taurx.com