SeneXta: Slow in the brain is OK

SeneXta Therapeutics S.A. believes its acetylcholinesterase inhibitor could improve on marketed drugs in the class because the compound irreversibly binds AChE. Because turnover of the target is slow in the brain and faster in the peripheral tissues where side effects occur, the company expects SNX-001 should have a more prolonged therapeutic effect and a better toxicity profile in patients with Alzheimer's disease.

According to Donald Moss, a professor in the department of psychology at the University of Texas at El Paso who discovered SNX-001, marketed AChE inhibitors such as Aricept donepezil and Exelon rivastigmine have limited efficacy for two reasons: short duration of action and dose-limiting toxicities...