About ADS-5102
 

ADS-5102 (amantadine HCl ER)

Adamas Pharmaceuticals is developing ADS-5102 for the treatment of central nervous system (CNS) disorders, including levodopa-induced dyskinesia (LID) in Parkinson’s disease patients. LID is a disabling condition characterized by involuntary hyperkinetic movements. There are currently no medications approved for the treatment of LID. Amantadine, the active component of ADS-5102, is an NMDA receptor antagonist and mild dopamine agonist. Approved in the US for use in parkinsonism, amantadine has also shown efficacy in small clinical studies in LID and other neurological conditions, but its use is limited by a lack of controlled efficacy studies and increased adverse events at doses above 200 mg/day.1,2

ADS-5102 is a proprietary, investigational, extended-release formulation of amantadine HCl. Designed for once-nightly administration, ADS-5102's unique “chronotherapeutic” pharmacokinetic profile is characterized by a slow increase in amantadine plasma concentrations, high plasma concentrations during the daytime hours when LID can be troublesome and low plasma concentrations overnight. Adamas is investigating whether the low overnight amantadine plasma concentration may reduce the insomnia, sleep disturbances, and vivid dreams occasionally associated with amantadine. Due to its altered pharmacokinetic profile, ADS-5102 is being investigated in clinical studies at daily dose strengths 1.3 to 2.1 fold greater than the 100 mg twice-daily dose typically used with immediate-release amantadine.

Adamas has completed a Phase 2/3 clinical trial of ADS-5102 for the treatment of LID in Parkinson's disease patients. The EASED™ (Extended Release Amantadine Safety and Efficacy Study in Levodopa-Induced Dyskinesia) clinical trial was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study that enrolled 83 Parkinson's disease subjects at 31 sites in the US (NCT 01397422). Subjects were randomized in a 1:1:1:1 ratio to the four treatment groups: placebo, 260 mg ADS-5102, 340 mg ADS-5102 and 420 mg ADS-5102. The EASED study of ADS-5102 met its primary endpoint; both the 340 mg and 420 mg ADS-5102 dose levels significantly reduced LID as measured by the change in Unified Dyskinesia Rating Scale (UDysRS) Total Score over eight weeks versus placebo. Consistent with the changes observed in the UDysRS, ADS-5102 also demonstrated statistically significant functional improvement in dyskinesia as assessed by the MDS-Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS, item 4.2), a measure of the degree of impact that dyskinesia has on the patient's daily function in terms of activities and social interactions. In addition, subjects reported a statistically significant increase of approximately three hours in “ON Time without troublesome dyskinesia” compared to placebo at week 8 across all dose levels.

The adverse events (AEs) reported in this study were consistent with Parkinson's disease and the known amantadine safety profile. Treatment emergent AEs were common in all treatment groups, and most were mild to moderate in severity.

Results from the EASED trial were presented at the 17th International Congress of Parkinson's Disease and Movement Disorders on June 18, 2013 in Sydney, Australia. A press release detailing results of the EASED study can be seen here.

Additional Indications under Investigation

In addition to Parkinson's disease, amantadine has been used by physicians to treat a variety of CNS indications, including multiple sclerosis fatigue,3-5 ADHD,6 chronic and acute traumatic brain injury7,8 and antipsychotic-induced weight gain.9 The mechanistic explanations for amantadine's activity are as varied as these indications, including NMDAr antagonism,10 dopamine release,11 norepinephrine release,12 serotonin release,13 BDNF upregulation14 and anti-cholinergic activity.15

What these indications have in common is that amantadine, a drug first approved for influenza A, has shown promising results in several small pilot studies. Adamas is currently investigating the mechanisms and activities of amantadine in preclinical models and anticipates conducting studies in up to two additional indications. In the longer term, Adamas expects to develop additional combination products based upon ADS-5102.

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15 Matsubayashi, H., Swanson, K. L., and Albuquerque, E.X., “Amantadine inhibits nicotinic acetylcholine receptor function in hippocampal neurons.” J Pharmacol Exp Ther, 1997, 281:834-44.

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