Local dementia experts visit Russia to share best practices in Phase 3 clinical research study in Alzheimer's disease

ALBANY, N.Y., Feb. 3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- A doctor-and-nurse team from the Neurological Associates of Albany clinic will travel to St Petersburg, Russia, next month to meet with clinical research doctors about TauRx Therapeutics' global Phase 3 clinical trial for mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. They are invited guests to help share their experience and expertise in conducting this study with their Russian counterparts in preparation for the study's launch in Russia.

"We are honored to have this unique opportunity to share our experience with this clinical research study with our counterparts in Russia," said Dr. Richard Holub, a neurologist and a leading principal investigator for the TauRx clinical research study. "As a global clinical research community, we are all striving for the same goal – to find a treatment that slows or halts the progression of Alzheimer's disease – and this collaboration reflects that shared objective. By sharing our knowledge with the Russian clinical team we hope to impart our experience which they can then integrate into their own centers as the clinical research study kicks off there."

Dr. Holub and Sue Brignull, a nurse specialist at the clinic, have screened and enrolled more than 30 mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease patients into TauRx Therapeutics' Phase 3 clinical trials since the studies launched in the U.S. in late 2012. Their background and commitment to the clinical studies prompted TauRx Therapeutics to invite them to speak to principal investigators in Russia about the practical "nuts & bolts" of conducting this trial, identifying eligible patients and supporting study participants in their journey through the clinical research process. Dr. Holub has been asked to provide insights and advice on diverse issues from the screening process through study completion.

The Phase 3 trial is one of two studies evaluating the use of LMTX™, a tau aggregation inhibitor that targets 'tau tangles' in the brain. If the findings of the large scale global studies are consistent with the earlier Phase 2 study, they could provide the first definitive data on a tau-based treatment that dissolves the tangles and slows or halts Alzheimer's disease. The studies culminate three decades of research by Professor Claude Wischik and colleagues at TauRx Therapeutics, a spin-out company from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland established 12 years ago. In total, the two large, Phase 3 studies will involve over 1,500 patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's in more than 20 countries.

"Dr. Holub has been involved in Alzheimer's disease for more than two decades and we're pleased to bring together our clinical researchers from various parts of the world to share their knowledge and insights with each another globally as part of our Phase 3 clinical research programme," said Professor Wischik, Chairman of TauRx Therapeutics.

According to the World Health Organisation, there are currently 1.2 million people in Russia living with dementia. Currently no treatments are available to stop or reverse this devastating disease, with the highest proportion of sufferers in Western Europe.

"Clinical trials are the only way to bring new medications into the mainstream and to advance our treatment of this condition," said Dr Holub. "And that is the return on investment for the individual patient, for the family, for the children and for society as a whole."

For more information and updates about the Phase 3 clinical trials in Alzheimer's disease or TauRx Therapeutics, patients and carers can visit www.alzheimersglobalstudies.net.

About Dr Holub

Dr. Richard Holub, MD, is a neurologist with more than 25 years of experience treating Alzheimer's disease. He is CEO and President of the Neurological Associates of Albany, NY, and a principal investigator for the TauRx Therapeutics global clinical research studies for Alzheimer's disease. Dr. Holub attended medical school at Georgetown University School of Medicine and graduated in 1973. He has played a significant role in the investigation of all five drugs currently approved by the FDA for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and has conducted over 100 successful clinical trials. A recent Alzheimer's Speaks interview with Dr. Holub is available online at: http://www.alzheimersspeaks.com/

About TauRx

TauRx Therapeutics Ltd was established in Singapore in 2002 with the aim of developing new treatments and diagnostics for a range of neurodegenerative diseases. The company's tau aggregation inhibitor, LMTX™, is currently in global Phase 3 clinical trials for Alzheimer's and Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD). LMTX™ targets aggregates of abnormal fibres of tau protein that form inside nerve cells in the brain, giving rise to tangles. TauRx's primary research facilities are in Aberdeen, Scotland. For more information, please visit: http://www.taurx.com

SOURCE TauRx Therapeutics Ltd