ALTEON INITIATES PHASE II TRIAL OF ALAGEBRIUM IN ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION

Alteon has initiated a Phase II trial of its novel A.G.E. Crosslink Breaker compound alagebrium chloride (formerly known as ALT-711) in erectile dysfunction (ED).

EMERALD (Evaluation of Alagebrium in Erectile Dysfunction in Diabetic Males on PDE5 Inhibitors) will assess the ability of alagebrium to restore erectile function in diabetic patients with moderate-to-severe ED who achieve limited benefit from current treatment with phosphodiesterase Type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors, the first class of orally active compounds approved for the treatment of ED.

Alagebrium has demonstrated an ability to reverse ED in a preclinical model of ED in diabetic rats -- through what appears to be a unique mechanism of action -- and thus may offer significant potential as an adjunctive treatment for diabetic ED.