Incara Reports More Progress With Possible ALS Drug

Incara Reports More Progress With Possible ALS Drug

Firm plans to present results of latest experiments to international forum on Wednesday.Bolstered by the results of more experiments, Incara Pharmaceuticals says it will tout a possible treatment for Lou Gehrig’s disease at an international forum on Wednesday.

Dr. John Crow, who has been conducting the experiments, will present his findings at the 14th annual conference for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s Disease) and motor neuron disease in Milan, Italy.

Incara reported recently that its antioxidant compound AEOL 10150 increased the survival time of transgenic mice by 2 ½ times after onset of symptoms. The company said its compound “has been shown to reduce damage to tissue in animal studies of neurological disorders” for ALS and stroke plus cells damaged by cancer radiation therapy, chronic bronchitis and asthma.

“Dr. Crow’s pre-clinical findings encourage us to move AEOL 10150 forward as a treatment for ALS,” said Clayton Duncan, chairman and chief executive officer of Incara, in a statement. “Not only is the animal data impressive, it is robust.”

Duncan pointed out that Crow, a professor of pharmacology and toxicology at the University of Arkansas College of Medicine, has conducted more experiments with the same results, Duncan said.

Incara intends to pursue clinical trials in humans in 2004. It recently received orphan drug status from the Food and Drug Administration.

Details of Crow’s experiments can be found at Incara’s web site.

Incara: www.incara.com