LOS ANGELES, March 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Vista Partners has updated coverage on Avicena Group to address the company’s recently announced Phase III Parkinson’s disease trial. PD-02, Avicena’s Parkinson’s disease drug candidate being used in this Phase III clinical trial, is a unique creatine-based formulation that has been manufactured to strict FDA drug GMP guidelines. PD-02 is produced using a patented process that ensures a highly purified form of creatine without the harmful neurotoxins, such as cyanamide, which may be dangerous to patients with neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s. The trial will be funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders (NIND), a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase III study is one of the largest PD clinical trials to date. It will enroll 1,720 people with early-stage Parkinson’s disease at fifty-one medical centers in the United States and Canada. Participants in the phase III study will be evaluated on an ongoing basis for five to seven years. “To have a trial funded in this magnitude by NIND is very rare and NIND’s backing provides third party validation from a top tier organization of PD-02,” stated Ross Silver, CEO of Vista Partners.
The company will now have 3 drugs in Phase III clinical trials in 2007 (ALS, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s) and 3 additional drugs advancing through phase I trials (Creatine Transporter Defect, Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Charcot-Marie Tooth Syndrome), giving the company one of the most robust central nervous system (CNS) pipelines amongst biotechnology companies.
ABOUT VISTA PARTNERS
Vista Partners provides independent, equity research to institutional and individual investors, with a focus on publicly traded small capitalization companies. For more information and to download the report; please visit the Vista Partners website at www.vistap.com.
ABOUT AVICENA
Avicena Group, Inc. is a late stage biotechnology company focused on developing products based on its proprietary understanding of the regulation of cellular energy processes. The company’s core technologies, supported by a robust IP portfolio, have broad applications in both pharmaceuticals and dermaceuticals. Avicena’s pharmaceutical program centers on rare neurological disorders (orphan diseases). The company is currently analyzing data from its Phase IIb/III trial in ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s disease). Near term, Avicena intends to initiate a Phase III trial in Huntington’s disease to accompany the NIH sponsored Phase III trial in Parkinson’s disease described in this release. Avicena’s science is well established and its products are safe and well tolerated. Unlike traditional biotechnology companies, Avicena’s clinical programs are largely funded by government and non-profit organizations. Avicena presently derives revenue from the sale of proprietary ingredients to skin care.
Contact: Vista Partners LLC Ross Silver (415) 738-6229 info@vistap.comwww.vistap.com
Vista Partners LLC
CONTACT: Ross Silver of Vista Partners LLC, +1-415-738-6229, orinfo@vistap.com
Web site: http://www.vistap.com//
