Naurex receives new U.S. patent for its lead compound, GLYX-13

Jul 31 2013

Naurex Inc., a clinical-stage company developing innovative treatments to address unmet needs in psychiatry and neurology, today announced issuance of a new U.S. patent for its lead compound, GLYX-13. The new patent, which covers methods of treating major depressive disorder, expires in 2030. GLYX-13 has demonstrated good safety, robust efficacy and rapid onset of effect within hours of a single dose in a Phase II trial.

"Issuance of this new patent extending protection for GLYX-13 is an important development for Naurex and adds significant value to our depression program," noted CEO Derek Small. "In addition, we are continuing to pursue additional patents for GLYX-13 to further fortify our patent portfolio for this promising new drug."

GLYX-13 is a selective NMDA receptor partial agonist, a new class of central nervous system-active compounds discovered by Naurex scientists. It is currently being assessed in a 400-subject Phase Il repeated dose clinical trial. Results from the initial Phase II trial showed that a single administration of GLYX-13 produced statistically significant reductions in depression scores in subjects who had failed treatment with current antidepressants. The reductions were evident within 24 hours and persisted for an average of seven days. In clinical studies to date, GLYX-13 has been well tolerated and has not produced any of the schizophrenia-like effects associated with other drugs that modulate the NMDA receptor.

GLYX-13 was developed based on the work of company founder, Joseph R. Moskal, PhD, and his colleagues at the Falk Center for Molecular Therapeutics at Northwestern University.

U.S. Patent No. 8,492,340 B2 issued on July 23, 2013, is assigned to Northwestern University and exclusively licensed to Naurex Inc.

Source: Naurex Inc.