NeuroNova initiates a first-in-human study with a novel treatment for patients with Parkinson´s disease

Stockholm, Sweden, March 18, 2009 - NeuroNova, a privately held Swedish biopharmaceutical company pioneering therapeutic neurogenesis for disorders of the central nervous system, has received regulatory approval by the Medical Products Agency in Sweden to initiate a first-in-human study with the drug product sNN0031 in patients with Parkinson's disease.

During the progression of Parkinson's disease some patients may eventually progress to a point where currently available drug therapies no longer address their symptoms. Furthermore, therapies that can modify the disease progression are urgently needed. The drug sNN0031 contains the naturally occurring protein PDGF-BB (platelet-derived growth factor BB), which has been shown to cause long lasting behavioral recovery in animal studies.

Administration into the fluid-filled cavities of the brain (intracerebroventricular administration) in animal models of Parkinson´s disease resulted in long lasting recovery and formation of new cells. Based on the preclinical findings, NeuroNova´s drug candidate sNN0031 may have the potential for a long term symptom reduction for patients with Parkinson´s disease, which would be a considerable advantage compared to currently available treatments.

The first-in-human study is intended to investigate the safety and tolerability of intracerebroventricular administration of sNN0031 to patients with Parkinson's disease using an implanted catheter and pump. If the treatment is demonstrated to be safe and well tolerated for this period of time, subsequent studies will focus on the therapeutic efficacy. "We are excited to approach the clinical testing of our drug product to understand the promise that this may offer in treating Parkinson´s disease", says Markus Jerling, Chief Medical Officer. "There is a great need for truly novel therapies in the treatment of patients with Parkinson´s Disease, and the preclinical data of sNN0031 indicate that this may be such a treatment", says Sven Pålhagen, specialist in Neurology and coordinating investigator at the Karolinska University Hospital, Huddinge in Stockholm, Sweden. "To influence the dopamine system by means of activating the pre-existing stem/progenitor cells in the brain represents a truly novel concept and sNN0031 treatment is different from all other therapies investigated in Parkinson's Disease so far", says Håkan Widner, specialist in Neurology and investigator at the University Hospital in Lund, Sweden. This initial trial will be performed in Stockholm and Lund, Sweden.

For more information on this project, please contact:

Markus Jerling, tel: +46 (0) 8 786 0900; markus.jerling@neuronova.com

Anders Haegerstrand, tel +46 (0) 8786 0900; anders.haegerstrand@neuronova.com

For more information on NeuroNova, please contact:
Ulf Ljungberg; tel: +46 (0) 8 786 0900; ulf.ljungberg@neuronova.com

NeuroNova (www.neuronova.com) is a Swedish bio-pharmaceutical company based in Stockholm, Sweden. NeuroNova has two drug candidates in clinical development for Parkinson's disease and ALS. NeuroNova works with neurogenesis and neuroprotection for the treatment of several currently incurable neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Huntington's disease.