TECHNOLOGICAL FIELD
Therapeutics,
Life-Sciences

KEY WORDS
Neurodegenerative,
L-DOPA, Transdermal, Parkinson, Alzheimer's

PROJECT SUMMARY
NeuroDerm is developing transdermal patches for the treatment of CNS diseases. Its most advanced product, ND0601, is the first levodopa (L-DOPA) skin patch for Parkinson's disease. This non-invasive system is based on a proprietary L-DOPA ester formulation. ND0601 is able to achieve continuous delivery of L-DOPA, long considered the "holy grail" of Parkinson's disease treatment. ND0801, NeuroDerm's next product, is also based on a proprietary formulation and is intended for the treatment of various CNS diseases, primarily Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia.

ADVANTAGES
ND0601: NeuroDerm showed in animal studies that ND0601 achieved, for the first time, constant therapeutic levels of L-DOPA in the blood for long periods of time. By overcoming the short half life of orally administered L-DOPA, the company thus hopes to minimize or even reverse some of the disabling late motor complications associated with current L-DOPA oral administration. Moreover, by providing newly diagnosed patients with low, continuous levels of L-DOPA the company hopes to be able to prevent or significantly delay the later emergence of dyskinesia and other late stage motor complications. The company hopes to eventually be able to offer a solution to motor complications affecting millions of PD.
ND0801: Nicotine and nicotinic agonists have wide ranging therapeutic potential in alleviating cognitive dysfunctions such as dementia of Alzheimer's disease, cognitive impairment associated with schizophrenia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), etc.The rapid desensitization of the nAChRs make nicotine, and other agents that activate directly or indirectly the nicotinic receptors, ineffective as therapeutic drugs. ND0801, a transdermal patch based on a proprietary chemical formulation, achieves continuous nicotinic stimulation without giving rise to desensitization of the nAChRs.

MARKETS
The primary target market is the population of PD patients who
suffer from late motor fluctuations. This group of patients
constitutes about one third of the total PD patients (1,000,000
in the US and 4,000,000 in the industrial countries). The world
market size of drugs for the treatment of Parkinson disease
exceeds US $3 billion per year.
Currently there is no satisfactory solution for these patients,
and therefore, market penetration is expected to be high within
this group. The product may also be advantageous for the elderly
who have problems with frequent oral administration, as well as
for additional groups of Parkinson patients, with a growth rate
of 10%-20% per year.
The market for Alzheimer's disease is at least ten times larger than that of PD.

ENTREPRENEURS
Prof. Eliahu Heldman - CSO, an
expert in pharmacology, drug development and neurosciences.
Dr. Moshe Kushnir - MD, a
practicing neurologist, the head of the neurology unit in Kaplan
Hospital Rehovot.
Dr. Haim Schlesinger - an analytical
chemist, the president of "Analyst ltd.".
Oded S. Lieberman - Ph.D., MBA
Chairman & CEO.

COOPERATION REQUIRED
Strategic partnership with pharmaceutical companies to finance clinical trials as well as enter marketing alliances, looking forward for exit opportunities within 3 to 4 years from the start-up of the company.