1 April 2010 – Paris, France Marco Polo Pharmaceuticals has entered into a licensing agreement with diagnostics company Biocortech to develop BC-19 in treatment resistant depression. Under the terms of the agreement, Marco Polo takes responsibility for all further clinical development of BC-19 and for eventual commercialisation or outlicensing to a suitable partner.
BC-19 is an eburnamine derivative, previously investigated for the indications of cerebral insufficiency and cognitive deficits. As an antidepressant, BC-19 had shown remarkably beneficial properties when administered to patients suffering from treatment resistant depression. Moreover, BC19 is the first depression therapy to offer the possibility of disease modification by restoring the function of deficient noradrenergic pathways which terminate in the prefrontal cortex.
“It is a great accomplishment for our company to announce a licensing agreement of this kind,” said Professor Mondher Toumi, CEO of Marco Polo Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Aleksandar Bakhutshuili, CMO added that, “there is a major unmet need in resistant and melancholic depression, and we believe that this compound will help those who suffer from this disease. Our team looks forward to further developing BC-19 in these indications.”
“This agreement, which is aligned with our strategic shift toward biomarkers, is a great opportunity to move BC-19 development forward and to bring a novel class of promising compounds to patients.” said Dr. Dinah Weissmann, CEO of Biocortech. Professor Jean François Pujol, CSO of Biocortech added that , “It is fortunate that all the work done to decipher the new mechanism of action of BC-19, and my vision to develop BC-19 for treatment resistant depression since the late 1980s, led to this open perspective of addressing unmet needs of suffering patients.”
About Treatment Resistant Depression
Treatment-resistant depression is a common manifestation of major depressive disorder, where patients do not respond to adequate courses of least two different antidepressants. It is estimated that between 10 to 30 percent of cases are either partially or totally resistant to antidepressant therapy. Unfortunately, the chances for full recovery diminish the longer a patient remains depressed. Current options for these patients are combination therapy, augmentation therapy or electroconvulsive therapy. However, these therapies entail increased side effects and complex administration routines.
About Marco Polo Pharmaceuticals
Marco Polo Pharmaceuticals is a drug repositioning company. We identify, acquire and develop promising drug candidates in new indications or markets. We focus on the major central nervous system diseases: schizophrenia, depression, Alzheimer’s disease and epilepsy. Currently, Marco Polo is conducting two separate proof-of-concept clinical trials to reposition drugs in epilepsy and schizophrenia. Marco Polo Pharmaceuticals is based in Luxembourg.
About Biocortech
Biocortech is a biopharmaceutical company committed to the discovery and development of novel biomarkers as predictive toxicogenomic assays, in vitro diagnostic tests and drug companion tests for psychiatric disorders such as depression, bipolar disorders, schizophrenia, suicidality and cognitive deficits. Biocortech’s proprietary technologies and assays enable drug candidate optimization, with respect to safety at the level of the central nervous system, as well as patient stratification and treatments monitoring in clinical setting. Biocortech is based in Paris, France.
