SAINT LAURENT, Quebec, April 04, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- IntelGenx Corp. (TSX-V:IGX) (OTCQX:IGXT) (“IntelGenx”), a leading oral drug delivery company, today announced its two Montelukast poster presentations received positive and constructive feedback from the Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) scientific community at the 14th International Conference on Alzheimer’s & Parkinson’s Diseases in Lisbon, Portugal. The poster presentations were presented in collaboration with Prof. Dr. Ludwig Aigner’s group at the Paracelsus Medical University in Salzburg.
The first poster entitled “The Leukotriene Receptor Antagonist Montelukast Improves Cognitive Function in the 5xFAD Model of Alzheimer’s Disease” presented a preclinical study of Montelukast in an AD mouse model, whereby 45 five-month old mice were treated with either Montelukast or placebo via an adhesive buccal film for 13 weeks. The effects of cognition were assessed in the mice through several behavioural tests and overall results demonstrated that Montelukast improved learning behaviour, and that treatment with higher doses of Montelukast displayed a trend toward better long-term memory. The poster summarized that long-term treatment with Montelukast in the mouse model improved cognitive function and increased the number of microglia without influencing the pathology of the amyloid plaques. In addition, the microglia were observed to be distant from the amyloid plaques, rather than concentrated around these plaques as is typically seen in AD. This increase of microglia distant from amyloid plaques might be novel mode of action of Montelukast, since there is growing evidence that microglia exist in many different stages; Montelukast might increase the population of beneficial microglia.
The second poster presentation entitled “The BUENA Study: A Phase 2A Clinical Trial to Test Safety and Efficacy of Montelukast VersaFilm™ in Alzheimer’s Patients” provided a background summary to the randomized, double-blind placebo controlled study that is currently ongoing across nine Canadian research sites.
“We have increasing and supportive evidence for the potential of Montelukast VersaFilm™ as a viable treatment for AD,” said Dr. Horst G. Zerbe, President and CEO of IntelGenx. “We have had glowing feedback from respected leaders in the AD community, as well as interest from the U.S. National Institutes of Health, which we believe would be supportive of future clinical trials in the United States.”
About Montelukast VersaFilm™:
Montelukast is a leukotriene receptor antagonist used for the maintenance treatment of asthma and to relieve symptoms of seasonal allergies. Montelukast is a CysLT1 antagonist; it blocks the action of leukotriene D4, a natural substance produced in the body involved in inflammation, (and secondary ligands LTC4 and LTE4) on the cysteinyl leukotriene receptor CysLT1 in the lungs and bronchial tubes by binding to it. This reduces the narrowing of bronchioles otherwise caused by the leukotriene and results in less inflammation. IntelGenx’s Montelukast buccal film offers a distinct dosage form that improves bioavailability and removes the need for water intake. The latest formulation successfully demonstrated enhanced bioavailability as compared with the brand tablet in a pilot study.
About IntelGenx
Established in 2003, IntelGenx is a leading oral drug delivery company primarily focused on the development and manufacturing of innovative pharmaceutical oral films based on its proprietary VersaFilm™ technology platform.
IntelGenx's highly skilled team provides comprehensive pharmaceuticals services to pharmaceutical partners, including R&D, analytical method development, clinical monitoring, IP and regulatory services. IntelGenx's state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, which was established for the VersaFilm™ technology platform, offers by supporting lab-scale to pilot- and commercial-scale production. More information about the company can be found at www.intelgenx.com.
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Source: IntelGenx Technologies Corp.