MEDIVATION BEGINS PATIENT DOSING IN ALZHEIMER'S STUDY

Medivation announced that patient dosing has begun in its Phase II Alzheimer's disease study with Dimebon. This randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study is being conducted at approximately 12 sites in Russia and will enroll up to 166 patients. The study's clinical endpoints are the same ones used by the FDA to approve all of the presently marketed Alzheimer's disease drugs.

Dimebon has been shown to improve learning and memory in animal models of Alzheimer's disease and in an open-label 14-patient pilot clinical study in Alzheimer's disease patients. The novel findings in these studies enabled Medivation to obtain issued patents in the U.S. and Europe covering the use of Dimebon to treat Alzheimer's disease and other neurological diseases.