SAN DIEGO—(BUSINESS WIRE)—ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq:ACAD), a biopharmaceutical company
utilizing innovative technology to fuel drug discovery and clinical
development of novel treatments for central nervous system disorders,
today announced that it has been awarded a grant from The Michael J. Fox
Foundation for the development of novel estrogen receptor beta (ER-beta)
agonists for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. The grant of up to
$830,000 was awarded under the Foundation’s Therapeutics Development
Initiative aimed at supporting preclinical development of Parkinson’s
disease therapies that have the potential for fundamentally altering
disease course and improving treatment of symptoms above and beyond
current standards of care.
“The award by The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research
provides important recognition for ACADIA’s ER-beta program for the
treatment of Parkinson’s disease and further validates the quality and
productivity of our drug discovery capabilities,” said Uli Hacksell,
Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of ACADIA. “We remain deeply committed to
the advancement of care in patients with Parkinson’s disease. In
addition to our ER-beta program, we continue to advance our Phase III
program with pimavanserin for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease
psychosis.”
“Our staff and reviewers are excited about the potential of ACADIA’s
ER-beta program to yield a new therapy that could better treat patients’
symptoms and potentially affect disease progression,” said Katie Hood,
Chief Executive Officer of The Michael J. Fox Foundation. “We are
committed to use our capital to keep industry pre-clinical work such as
this moving forward in order to speed it toward clinical testing and
pharmacy shelves.”
Studies have shown that estrogen modulates many cerebral functions such
as mental state, mood, cognition, and locomotion, and may slow down the
development and progression of Parkinson’s disease. Estrogen stimulates
both ER-alpha and ER-beta receptors. ACADIA researchers have identified
novel and selective ER-beta agonists that may address the motor and
non-motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. ACADIA researchers will
examine the efficacy of ER-beta agonists in preclinical models, focusing
on neuroprotection, motor performance, cognition and sensorimotor
gating. New approaches like ER-beta may pave the way for a novel
treatment of Parkinson’s disease.
About Parkinson’s Disease
Parkinson’s disease is a chronic and progressive neurological disorder
that is characterized by a number of symptoms including tremors, limb
stiffness, slowness of movements, and difficulties with posture and
balance. It is estimated that over 1.5 million people in the United
States suffer from the disease. Parkinson’s disease is more prevalent in
people over 60 years of age, and the incidence of the disease is
expected to increase as the average age of the population increases.
About ACADIA Pharmaceuticals
ACADIA is a biopharmaceutical company utilizing innovative technology to
fuel drug discovery and clinical development of novel treatments for
central nervous system disorders. ACADIA is focused on developing a
portfolio of its four most advanced product candidates, including
pimavanserin in Phase III for Parkinson’s disease psychosis, a product
candidate in Phase II for chronic pain and a product candidate in Phase
I for glaucoma, both in collaboration with Allergan, and ACP-106 in
IND-track development. All of the product candidates in ACADIA’s
pipeline emanate from discoveries made using its proprietary drug
discovery platform. ACADIA maintains a website at www.acadia-pharm.com
to which ACADIA regularly posts copies of its press releases as well as
additional information and through which interested parties can
subscribe to receive email alerts.
About The Michael J. Fox Foundation
Founded in 2000, The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research
is dedicated to ensuring the development of a cure for Parkinson’s
disease within the coming decade through an aggressively funded research
agenda. The foundation has funded over $130 million in research to date.
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements in this press release that are not strictly historical in
nature are forward-looking statements. These statements include but are
not limited to statements related to the progress and timing of ACADIA’s
drug discovery and development programs, including clinical trials and
the results therefrom, and the benefits to be derived from ACADIA’s
product candidates, in each case including pimavanserin and ER-beta
compounds, as well as any projected increase in the incidence of
Parkinson’s disease as the average age of the population increases.
These statements are only predictions based on current information and
expectations and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual
events or results may differ materially from those projected in any of
such statements due to various factors, including the risks and
uncertainties inherent in drug discovery, development and
commercialization, and collaborations with others, and the fact that
past results of clinical trials may not be indicative of further trial
results. For a discussion of these and other factors, please refer to
ACADIA’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007
as well as other subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange
Commission. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these
forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. This
caution is made under the safe harbor provisions of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All forward-looking statements
are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement and ACADIA
undertakes no obligation to revise or update this press release to
reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof.