By IANS,
Sydney : A new anti-anxiety drug has been developed that could treat sufferers for up to twice as long as Valium.
European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP) Congress in Barcelona, Spain was told on Monday that the drug BNC210 was effective in three different animal species and that it is safe and well tolerated at doses 10,000 times the minimum effective dose.
The data was gained from experiments to test whether BNC210 could decrease the duration of distress-induced vocalisations from guinea pig pups on separation from their mothers.
This model has been validated as a predictor of anxiolytic (anxiety-reducing) activity for a broad range of compound classes. Previous findings had shown that BNC210 reduced anxiety in mice and rats exposed to stresses.
“Compared to untreated pups, those given BNC210 uttered distress calls for a shorter time, a clear demonstration of the anxiolytic activity of BNC210,” said Sue O’Connor, project leader for BNC210. “We were pleased to be able to present our latest findings at such a high calibre scientific meeting.”
The anxiolytic effect of a single dose of BNC210 lasted for at least six hours, whereas the same dose of diazepam was effective for about three hours.
In addition, treatment with BNC210 did not cause the side effects of sedation, memory impairment and addiction that are associated with diazepam treatment.
Ongoing toxicology studies have already shown BNC210 to be safe in both rats and dogs at doses up to 1,000 mg per kg of body weight. Tests of repeated doses of BNC210 have commenced and the results will be included in a submission seeking regulatory approval for human trials of BNC210 next year.
The ECNP Congress is the largest European scientific meeting on neuropsychopharmacology and mental disorders. More than 6,500 international psychiatrists, neurologists, psychologists, and neuroscience researchers attend to discuss the latest research on disorders of the brain.