Alteon's ALT-711 Decreases Blood Vessel Stiffness in Older Non-Human Primates

[Guest guest]

Hi All,

From

http://www.corporate-ir.net/ireye/ir_site.zhtml?ticker=ALT & script=414 & layout=7 & i\

tem_id=148

443 I quote:

" Ramsey, New Jersey, January 30, 2001 - Alteon Inc. (AMEX: ALT) announced today

that a

pre-clinical study of ALT-711, Alteon's lead Advanced Glycosylation End-product

( " A.G.E. " )

Crosslink Breaker, demonstrated the compound's ability to significantly decrease

age-related blood vessel stiffness in older rhesus monkeys. The study,

conducted at the

National Institute on Aging, is published in the January 30, 2001 issue of

Proceedings of

the National Academy of Sciences (98:3, pp. 1171-1175, 2001).

ALT-711, which recently completed a Phase IIa human clinical trial, is the first

in a new

class of compounds that have been shown to chemically " break " A.G.E.

crosslinking that

results when glucose attaches to collagen. These pathological A.G.E.

crosslinks, which

are a natural consequence of aging and are accelerated in diabetes, toughen

tissues and

impair the flexibility and function of many body organs. A.G.E.s have been

shown to be

responsible for many age-related and diabetic disorders, such as elevated

systolic blood

pressure, hardened arteries, and impaired kidney function. Pre-clinical and

recent

clinical findings suggest that ALT-711 could be a new treatment for age-related

cardiovascular disease and vascular complications of diabetes.

In the study, six rhesus monkeys received doses of ALT-711 every other day for

three

weeks. The treatment effect was persistent, with the maximum improvement in

vessel wall

flexibility occurring at the six-week evaluation after the end of treatment with

ALT-711.

Thereafter, the improvement in arterial and ventricular function gradually

returned to

baseline (at week 39). Blood flow through the heart also increased with a

persistent

improvement. No significant changes in body weight or routine chemical

measurements were

detected during the follow-up period.

" This study directly supports the results from previous animal studies of

ALT-711 conducte

d at leading research institutions. More importantly, we recently announced

positive

findings from a Phase IIa human clinical trial of ALT-711, and are in

preparation stages

for a Phase IIb human trial, " said I. Moch, Alteon's President and Chief

Executive

Officer. " We believe that ALT-711's mechanism is new and novel, and is

unrelated to that

of any pharmaceutical agent either currently prescribed or in development. " "

========================

Good Health & Long Life,

Greg ,

http://www.ozemail.com.au/~gowatson

gowatson@...