Predix Pharmaceuticals has initiated a Phase I clinical trial in 18 healthy adult male and female volunteers to study the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of PRX-07034, a serotonin 5-HT6 antagonist being developed for the treatment of obesity and also for cognitive impairment (associated with Alzheimer's disease or schizophrenia).
PRX-07034 is a novel, highly selective, small-molecule antagonist of a specific G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) known as 5-HT6. PRX-07034 has shown cognitive-enhancing properties in pre-clinical animal models of memory impairment, as well as significant reductions of both food intake and body weight in several preclinical animal models of obesity. Indications are that the human 5-HT6 receptor is found mainly in the central nervous system with little or no expression in peripheral tissues, which may result in selectivity in drug targeting with fewer side effects.