The start-up Neuroderm has successfully completed an important stage in the first clinical trial of a Parkinson's drug

The start-up Neuroderm ((Neuroderm), which develops drugs for dermal insertion in diseases of the central nervous system, announces the successful completion of the recruitment and waiting phase in the first clinical trial on ND0611, a drug that stabilizes the level of levodopa in the blood and is intended for the treatment of Parkinson's patients.

The purpose of the experiment was to check the safety of the drug, in different doses. The experiment was conducted in Israel, in a group of volunteers, and as part of it, additional tests will be performed to determine the levodopa level reached in the subjects' blood.

Dr. Oded Lieberman, chairman of Neuroderm, said today: "Starting human trials is a significant milestone for any company that develops drugs. ND0611 is intended to be a new and innovative alternative for Parkinson's patients, as the hope is that the drug will alleviate the motor problems that affect the day-to-day life of those patients."

ND0611 is Neuroderm's most advanced drug, and is intended for the treatment of Parkinson's disease. Today, the main and common treatment for Parkinson's patients is carried out using the Levodopa pill (which 'compensates' for the lack of dopamine characteristic of the disease) but it loses its effect in the body in a short time. Taking it orally does not allow maintaining a constant level in the blood and makes the development of motor complications and a decrease in the effectiveness of the pill possible.

Neuroderm's medicine is based on a unique formulation that should ensure a high and continuous level of Levodopa in the blood. The treatment should be suitable for both advanced patients and patients in the first stages of the disease.

The drug market for Parkinson's disease is currently valued at more than three billion dollars per year. A large number of leading pharmaceutical companies sell products in the field of drug therapy for Parkinson's, including Glaxo-Smith-Kline, Novartis, Boehringer Ingelheim, Teva and UCB. The number of Parkinson's patients in the world is estimated at 4-6 million patients, of which, according to the American Parkinson's Association, about 1.5 million are in the USA. About 70-80% of Parkinson's patients are treated with Levodopa.

Neuroderm Established in 2003 as part of the Ofakim Incubator. Specializes in the development of drugs administered through the skin to treat diseases of the central nervous system. The company's first and leading product, the 1,ND061 is the first patch in the world to achieve a continuous level of the drug Levodopa in the blood, for the treatment of Parkinson's patients. The company's technology is based on unique reformulations of well-known drugs that allows their continuous administration through the skin and thus increase their effectiveness.. So far, Neuroderm has raised only one million dollars. Neuroderm received support from the actor Michael G. Fox's research fund for the study of Parkinson's disease, and its investors include Robert Taub, founder of the biopharmaceutical company Omrix (purchased in 2008 by J&J for $438 million), Uwe Wacher, d R. Shmuel Kabili, an inventor and researcher who holds a large number of patents in the field of biotechnology and Hammam Ofakim (owned by Capital Point). The company is located in the science park in Rehovot and employs about 12 people.