AD to Orphan

The expense and difficulty of clinical development in Alzheimer's disease has discouraged NeuroPhage Pharmaceuticals Inc. from pursuing the indication as a full blown program. However, the company expects the effects of lead compound NPT001 on plaque burden in AD patients should provide hints about efficacy in other brain diseases characterized by misfolded proteins.

Thus, NeuroPhage will use last week's $9 million extension of a series B round to start a Phase I trial of NPT001 in AD...