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DRL starts clinical trials in Europe
By agencies
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Tuesday, 08 February 2005, 20:30 IST
HYDERABAD:The city based pharma major Dr Reddy's Laboratories (DRL) Ltd has initiated Phase I clinical trials for its cardiovascular drug candidate RUS 3108 in Europe.
The company said the clinical trials are being conducted at Belfast in Ireland and will explore the safety and pharmacokinetic profiles of this drug candidate in humans.
This is the first time the company is testing a drug in Europe, DRL said adding the RUS 3108 is being developed for the treatment of atherosclerosis, the major cause of cardiovascular disorders such as heart attacks and stroke. Currently, there are no drugs in the market that directly treat atherosclerosis.
Pointing out that the drug represents a new approach to the treatment of atherosclerosis, DRL said, its drug candidate is first in class and works through affecting multiple pathways involved in the disease such as inflammation, proliferation and thrombosis by inducing a protein called perlecan. DRL scientists have determined that regulating the expression of perlecan can provide direct protection against this disease, it added.
''RUS 3018 represents a unique approach for treatment of cardiovascular disease, a growing unmet medical need worldwide. It represents the company's commitment to finding new solutions through cutting edge research and development,'' DRL Chief Scientific Officer Uday Saxena said in a statement.
Dr Reddy's conducts its drug discovery research activities in facilities at Hyderabad, and Atlanta, US, and has discovery program in the areas of diabetes, cardiovascular, anti-infectives, inflammation and cancer. The company currently has six new chemical entities (NCEs) at various stages of clinical development.