- WA stroke therapy
could be a global game changer
- Perth biotech company
commences trial in 10 Australian hospitals
- Government
funds study to explore opportunities to use drug for Alzheimer's disease
A new groundbreaking drug to reduce brain tissue damage following
a stroke is being trialled in hospitals across Australia by Perth-based biotech
company Argenica Therapeutics.
Medical Research Minister Stephen Dawson
lauded the revolutionary drug treatment, which was discovered in Perth at the Perron Institute, as a
game changer for stroke patients.
The treatment is expected to improve
patient outcomes by protecting the brain tissue from dying until blood flow can
be restored. The drug has the potential to reduce further brain injury and
long-term disability.
Researchers say
the drug may also be able to halt or slow Alzheimer's disease, but the
treatments need to be administered differently for these patients. Argenica is
now pursuing further studies, which if successful, could have a huge impact on
quality-of-life outcomes for Alzheimer's sufferers.
The Cook Government is following the evolution of this potential 'wonder
drug' closely and supporting Argenica as it continues to trial a treatment
program. Argenica received a $419,000 grant from the Government's Future Health
Research and Innovation Seed Fund Program to develop a new non-invasive
administration route for ARG-007 to expand its application into Alzheimer's
disease.
Argenica
Therapeutics has been researching the different applications for the drug for
more than a decade. The drug is now entering phase two of
clinical trials in emergency departments across Australia to test its
effectiveness in protecting the brain cells of stroke patients.
A total of 92
patients will be dosed with either ARG-007 or a placebo as part of Argenica's
national trial, which includes Perth sites at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and
Fiona Stanley Hospital.
Phase 1 clinical trials of ARG-007 were
undertaken at WA's state-of-the-art Linear Clinical Research facility operating
out of QEII Medical Centre in Nedlands. The new drug was found to be safe,
tolerable, and absorbed into the body, in healthy human volunteers.
Stroke is one of the leading causes of
death and disability globally with substantial economic costs for post-stroke
care.
It is estimated the economic cost to
treat stroke victims will reach $183 billion by 2030.
Comments attributed to Medical Research Minister Stephen Dawson:
"WA's international reputation as a medical research hub continues to
gain momentum.
"It's great to see companies like Perth-based Argenica Therapeutics progress through to clinical trials
with a drug that has the potential to revolutionise how a stroke is treated.
"Global pharmaceutical companies will be
watching this trial very closely as this drug could be effective against other
illnesses, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.
"The Cook Government is proud to be able to financially support
innovative ideas and medical research masterminded here in Perth."
