Aestus obtains $2 million grant from NIH for pain studies

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Aestus obtains $2 million grant from NIH for pain studies

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Aestus Therapeutics has received a $2 million Small Business Innovative Research

grant from the National Institutes of Health, or NIH. The grant, from the NIH's

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, will fund clinical

trials of the company's novel treatment for chronic neuropathic pain.

The grant will enable Aestus to begin clinical trials to study the effectiveness

of its novel drug compound, ATx08-001, in the treatment of postherpetic

neuralgia.

ATx08-001 has already undergone extensive safety and toxicological evaluation in

human subjects. Aestus is in the process of filing an investigational new drug

application for ATx08-001 with the FDA, with the goal of beginning clinical

trials in late 2010.

In addition to its work in pain therapy, Aestus is also researching potential

novel therapies for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, schizophrenia, and epilepsy.

Tage Honore, CEO and co-founder of Aestus, said: " We are grateful to NIH for

recognizing our research as an innovative approach to finding a new treatment

for chronic pain and for supporting our efforts to help improve the quality of

life for the 39 million patients worldwide with pain resulting from nerve

damage. We believe our approach to finding novel neurological pathways to treat

disorders of the nervous system and existing compounds to act on those pathways

will lead the way in establishing a faster, more cost effective drug discovery

process. We are pleased to receive the validation of this peer-reviewed grant. "