TauRx achieves milestone in global Phase 3 clinical trials of LMTX™ for Alzheimer's Disease

Over 300 patients now enrolled worldwide in clinical trials for a second-generation tau aggregation inhibitor (TAI) aimed at halting the progression of Alzheimer's

SINGAPORE and ABERDEEN, Scotland, Sept. 19, 2013 /CNW/ - In advance of World Alzheimer's Day, TauRx Therapeutics Ltd announced that it has reached an important milestone with over 300 patients now enrolled in its global Phase 3 clinical trials of LMTX™ for mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. More than 100 medical centres in 15 different countries are actively screening and enrolling patients for the studies, with additional centres in other countries expected to start soon.

"Reaching this milestone in our clinical research studies brings us one step closer in our quest to finding an effective disease-modifying treatment for Alzheimer's disease," said Prof. Claude Wischik, Executive Chairman and Co-Founder of TauRx Therapeutics. "The journey of tau aggregation inhibition has been 3 decades in the making, and these studies are testament to the scientific discovery and innovation which have brought us to where we are today."

The Phase 3 trials of a tau aggregation inhibitor target 'tau tangles' in the brain, and could provide the first definitive data on a tau-based treatment that dissolves the tangles and slows or halts Alzheimer's disease. The first study is evaluating the use of LMTX™ in over 800 patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's over a 15-month treatment period. The second study is evaluating the use of LMTX™ in up to 700 patients with mild Alzheimer's over an 18-month treatment period.

According to the Alzheimer's Disease International, 35.6 million people worldwide are living with dementia, and that number will nearly double every 20 years, to an estimated 65.7 million in 2030, and 115.4 million in 2050. Currently no treatments are available to stop or reverse this devastating disease, which is now one of the leading causes of death worldwide.

Currently, the two large, Phase 3 studies are screening and enrolling patients in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Italy, Poland, Romania, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, Belgium and Finland.

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

About TauRx

TauRx Therapeutics Ltd, a spin-out company from the University of Aberdeen, UK, 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

North America: Liz Moench +1?610?659?5093 / Courtney Hollinger +1?484?674 6800; Outside North America: Sylvie Berrebi [phone], Elizabeth Puller [phone], Email: [email protected]

http://www.taurx.com