Ferrer seeks partners to develop Lorediplon to treat insomnia
Antonio Guglietta, director of R&D at Ferrer: “Insomnia is a frequent sleep disorder, which has a significant impact on quality of life and productivity.”
By Biocat
Catalan pharmaceutical group Ferrer has just finished phase I clinical trials on a new inhibitor (Lorediplon) for insomnia. The trials, carried out on 129 patients with sleep disorders, show that the drug is more effective than Zolpidem, the leading product on the market to date. Lorediplon has been created to be taken orally (in 1 mg, 5 mg or 10 mg doses).
Current sleep aids are gamma-Aminobutyric acid (GABAA) receptor modulators, meaning that they help people fall and, sometimes, stay asleep; however they also change the architecture of sleep, decrease psychomotor and cognitive functions, lead to dependency and withdrawal symptoms, and increase predisposition to falls and apnea.
"Insomnia is still a frequent sleep disorder, which has a significant impact on a person’s quality of life, but even more on society given their decreased productivity and the healthcare costs involved,” explained Antonio Guglietta, director of R&D at the Ferrer Grupo. "Lorediplon is the first product from our Central Nervous System (CNS) discovery program to be tested in clinical trials. This program seeks out differentiated products geared towards covering deficiencies not yet treated against insomnia and other sleep disorders. Once demonstrated the clinical benefits, innocuousness and tolerability of the drug, we have started to actively scout for partners to broaden clinical development and commercialization of Lorediplon around the world," he explained in a press release.
Some patents are already held on Lorediplon but, according to the Ferrer Grupo, it can still be used to continue research and commercialization around the world.