SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- December 13, 2006 -- Athenagen, Inc., a privately held biopharmaceutical company focused in the area of neurovascular diseases, announced today the commencement of a Phase II clinical study of the company's lead compound, GTS-21, in patients with Alzheimer's disease. GTS-21, a novel, orally active alpha-7 nicotinic acetylcholine (nACh) receptor agonist, was previously demonstrated to improve cognition in a proof-of-concept study in patients with schizophrenia and in healthy volunteers.
