CORAL GABLES, Fla., Aug. 31, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Catalyst Pharmaceutical Partners, Inc. (Nasdaq:CPRX) today announced that Dr. Richard B. Silverman, a renowned expert in the field of rational drug design, on the biochemistry of GABA aminotransferase (GABA-AT), and the lead inventor on the team that invented CPP-115, gave a presentation entitled "CPP-115: A GABA Aminotransferase Inactivator and New Treatment for Drug Addiction and Epilepsy" at the American Chemical Society Annual Fall Meeting in Denver, Colorado on Monday, August 29, 2011.
The presentation discussed the medical relevance of GABA aminotransferase inactivators in the treatment of epilepsy and drug addiction, the history of the discovery of CPP-115, a detailed mechanistic analysis of GABA-AT inactivators, and a summary of CPP-115's pharmacological properties, including its superior visual safety profile and potency compared to vigabatrin. The data contained in Dr. Silverman's presentation is expected to be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal in the future.
About Richard B. Silverman, Ph.D.
Dr. Silverman is the John Evans Professor of Chemistry at Northwestern University. He is the inventor of Pfizer's $3 billion/year Lyrica® (pregabalin), marketed worldwide for the treatment of epilepsy, neuropathic pain, fibromyalgia, and (in Europe) for generalized anxiety disorder. He has received numerous awards, most recently the 2011 E.B. Hershberg Award for Important Discoveries in Medicinally Active Substances from the American Chemical Society, the 2009 Perkin Medal, from the Society of Chemical Industry, and, in 2009, was inducted into the American Chemical Society Medicinal Chemistry Hall of Fame; this year he also was named a Fellow of the American Chemical Society. Dr. Silverman holds 43 patents, has published over 280 peer-reviewed articles and has written four books over his 35-year career in academia.
About Catalyst Pharmaceutical Partners, Inc.
Catalyst Pharmaceutical Partners, Inc. is a development-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of prescription drugs targeting diseases of the central nervous system with a focus on the treatment of addiction and epilepsy. Catalyst has two products in development, and is currently evaluating its lead product and first-in-class GABA aminotransferase inhibitor candidate, CPP-109 (vigabatrin), for the treatment of cocaine addiction. CPP-109 has been granted "Fast Track" status by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of cocaine addiction. Catalyst also expects to evaluate CPP-109 for the treatment of other addictions. Catalyst is also developing CPP-115, another GABA aminotransferase inhibitor that is more potent than vigabatrin and has reduced side effects (e.g., visual field defects, or VFDs) from those associated with vigabatrin. Catalyst is planning to develop CPP-115 for several indications, including drug addiction, epilepsy (initially infantile spasms) and for other selected central nervous disease indications. CPP-115 has been granted orphan-drug designation for the treatment of infantile spasms by the FDA. Catalyst believes that it controls all current intellectual property for drugs that have a mechanism of action related to the inhibition of GABA aminotransferase. For more information about Catalyst, go to www.catalystpharma.com.
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