Aura trial fully enrolled

12 Mar 2008 07:00

Minster Pharmaceuticals PLC12 March 2008 For immediate release 12 March 2008 MINSTER PHARMACEUTICALS PLC ("Minster" or "the Company") Phase II migraine with aura trial fully enrolled Minster Pharmaceuticals plc (AIM: MPM), the drug development companyspecialising in neurological and psychiatric disorders, is pleased to announcethat its Phase II trial in Denmark of tonabersat in the prevention of migrainewith aura is now fully enrolled. The results of the trial, whose primaryendpoint is the reduction in the number of migraine headache days experienced bythe trial's patients, are expected in the second half of this year. Migraine with aura, which affects around 15 per cent of migraine sufferers, is atype of migraine in which the headache is accompanied by symptoms such asflashing lights and abnormality of speech. The Phase II trial is being conducted at the Danish Headache Centre atCopenhagen's Glostrup University Hospital by the Centre's Director, ProfessorJes Olesen, who is one of the world's leading authorities on headache. The trialis being jointly funded by Minster and the University of Copenhagen. This placebo-controlled trial has recruited 39 patients, an increase on theinitial estimate of 34. Under the cross-over design, patients take eithertonabersat at 40mg once a day or placebo for a three-month period after whichthe treatment regime is reversed such that those initially on tonabersat receiveplacebo and vice versa. Tonabersat is the leading compound in an exciting new class of selective drugsdesignated as neuronal gap junction blockers and offers the potential to preventthe onset of migraine as a preferred alternative to acute treatment. Paul Sharpe, Minster Pharmaceuticals' Chief Executive, said: "Migraine with auraaffects a significant sub-population of migraine sufferers. The symptoms can bevery troublesome and are frequently not well controlled with current treatments.We are delighted that this jointly funded trial is now fully enrolled and welook forward to the results of the study in the latter half of this year." For further information: Minster Pharmaceuticals plc Tel: +44 (0) 1799 506623Paul Sharpe, Chief Executive OfficerRobert Aubrey, Chief Financial Officer Buchanan Communications Tel: +44 (0) 20 7466 5000Mark CourtRebecca Skye Dietrich Nomura Code Securities Limited Tel: +44 (0) 20 7776 1200Richard PottsGerard Harper Notes for editors: About Minster Pharmaceuticals plc Minster Pharmaceuticals is a drug development company focussed on neurologicaland psychiatric disorders. Its principal pipeline assets are tonabersat, underdevelopment in the preventive treatment of migraine, and sabcomeline inschizophrenia. Worldwide rights to both compounds were acquired fromGlaxoSmithKline and the compounds benefit from comprehensive safety tolerancedata as a result of investment by GSK. Tonabersat is the leading compound in an exciting new class of selective drugsdesignated as neuronal gap junction blockers and offers the potential to preventthe onset of migraine as a preferred alternative to acute treatment.Sabcomeline, a muscarinic partial agonist, has potential in the treatment ofchronic schizophrenia. Minster's near-term focus is on the development and commercialisation of itscurrent pipeline. Its medium term strategy is to leverage the anticipatedcashflows from the current pipeline by in-licensing further compounds with theultimate objective of creating a substantial and highly efficient drugdevelopment enterprise focussed on the central nervous system. Minster joined the AIM market in February 2005 and trades under the symbol MPM.For further information please visit www.minsterpharma.com . This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange