Memory Pharmaceuticals issued key U.S. patent for series of nicotinic alpha-7 receptor agonists

Memory Pharmaceuticals Corp. has announced the issuance of U.S. Patent No. 7,429,664, which provides composition of matter patent protection for a series of nicotinic alpha-7 receptor agonists.

These include R3487/MEM 3454 and R4996/MEM 63908, which are both being developed in partnership with Roche for the treatment of cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and cognitive impairment associated with schizophrenia (CIAS). The term of the patent extends until at least 2025, which does not reflect any potential patent term extensions.

"This patent provides broad coverage of R3487/MEM 3454 and R4996/MEM 63908, further extends our leadership position in the development of nicotinic alpha-7 receptor agonists, and underscores our commitment to bring forward novel therapies for the treatment of CNS disorders," stated Vaughn M. Kailian, President and Chief Executive Officer of Memory Pharmaceuticals. "We look forward to continuing to work with our partner Roche to advance our robust development programs for these compounds."

Memory Pharmaceuticals is currently conducting a Phase 2 trial for R3487/MEM 3454 in CIAS. The Company recently announced the completion of its Phase 1 program for R4996/MEM 63908 and that it expects to report the top-line data from that program in the fourth quarter of 2008.

R3487/MEM 3454 is a partial agonist of the nicotinic alpha-7 receptor, a highly specialized receptor found in the central nervous system. In a recently completed Phase 2a study in Alzheimer's disease patients, R3487/MEM 3454 demonstrated a statistically significant effect on multiple measures of cognition. Roche has a license to R3487/MEM 3454 for future development and commercialization.

R4996/MEM 63908 is the second compound in the Company's Nicotinic Alpha-7 Receptor Agonist Collaboration with Roche. In preclinical studies, R4996/MEM 63908 improved learning and memory in healthy and aged cognitively impaired animals. Under the terms of the agreement with Roche, Memory Pharmaceuticals is responsible for conducting Phase 1 clinical trials of this compound and Roche is responsible for later stage development and commercialization.