Wednesday November 25 2009 | Biotechnology feed | All feeds
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Wednesday November 25 2009 | Biotechnology feed | All feeds
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Peripheral benzodiazapine receptors as a target for rheumatoid arthritis The American Autoimmune Related Disease Association lists over 50 different autoimmune diseases. One particularly common condition is rheumatoid arthritis which affects about 1% of all populations, women two to three times more often than men. This translates to a total of 5 million sufferers in the major pharmaceutical markets. The market for agents used to treat rheumatoid arthritis totaled $1.6 billion in 2000. According to some analysts, new therapeutic approaches will drive the market for autoimmune disorders such as treat rheumatoid arthritis to grow at a rate of over 15%, to a value of over $21 billion by 2006. At present, treatments of this disease are based on symptomatic therapies such as NSAIDs (including the new COX-2 inhibitors), gold-containing compounds and corticosteroids. The current trend is to move towards disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs). The benzodiazepine receptor was initially a target for the treatment of various psychiatric disorders, however since this receptor is also expressed in the periphery it has more recently attracted attention as a target for a variety of non-CNS conditions. Most recently, Sanofi-Synthelabo has published data describing the anti-inflammatory properties of three ligands of this receptor, PK 11195, Ro5-4864 and SSR 180575. Each of these ligands was reported to display therapeutic activity in the Mrl/lpr mouse model of rheumatoid arthritis. This was mirrored by peripheral benzodiazepine receptor expression by infiltrating leukocytes and synovial membranes. Receptor expression by chondrocytes was reduced during disease development. These data support the targeting of potent peripheral benzodiazepine receptors as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis December, 2002
Adapted from Bribes Eur J Pharmacol 2002 Sep 27;452(1):111-22 Interested in collaborating with this group? Contact leaddiscovery@bioportfolio.co.uk Projects such as these are overviewed in full DiscoveryDossiers. LeadDiscovery and BioPortfolio aims to provide reliable, insightful analysis on the biotechnology industry. However, this information is provided "as is" and no representations or warranties either express or implied of completeness, accuracy, or of any other nature are made with respect to this information. This information is neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation to buy the securities of any company. This information contains forward-looking statements, which involve risks and uncertainties which may not be listed. The biotechnology industry is an emerging industry and the securities of the companies mentioned in this report have a very high degree of risk and volatility. For this reason, this information is supplied on the condition that the reader will make his or her own determination as to its suitability for any purpose prior to any use of this information. The employees and officers of LeadDiscovery and BioPortfolio may hold positions in some or all of the stocks discussed in this report. This abstract has been produced by LeadDiscovery Ltd. Founded by life scientists for life scientists we aim to help industry identify cutting edge drug discovery options and academic/biotech institutions maximize the potential of their research. Abstracts strictly reflect the opinion of LeadDiscovery's editorial panel. While all reasonable efforts are made to ensure the accuracy of information provided LeadDiscovery and the publisher BioPortfolio, takes no responsibility for incorrect or misleading information. LeadDiscovery is designed for educational and drug development purposes only and is not intended or designed to offer medical advice or advice of any sort, and must not be used for such purpose. The information provided through LeadDiscovery and BioPortfolio should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or a disease and no reliance should be placed on any information contained in this abstract or elsewhere on LeadDiscovery's and BioPortfolio's website. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional care. If you have or suspect you may have a health problem, you should consult your physician or other health care provider. |
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