Buntanetap is an oral small molecule, currently under investigation for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. It has been shown to inhibit the translation of several neurotoxic proteins, preventing their overexpression. These include amyloid precursor protein, tau and alpha-synuclein. Cheng Fang, PhD, Annovis Bio, Berwyn, PA, discusses the latest findings from buntanetap’s clinical development program. In a double blind, placebo controlled, Phase IIa study (NCT04524351), patients with early Alzheimer’s disease were randomized to receive 80mg buntanetap daily or placebo. One month treatment with buntanetap was shown to improve cognitive function as measured by ADASCog11 (30% improvement from baseline) and the WAIS coding test (23% improvement from baseline). The agent will move into further Phase II/III studies, aiming to find the optimal therapeutic dose and validate these early data in a larger cohort. In Parkinson’s disease, the Phase IIa trial assessed five doses of buntanetap versus placebo for one month. Improvements were seen in MDS-UPDRS and WAIS coding test scores, with the 10mg and 20mg daily doses showing the best clinical outcomes. Buntanetap will now be tested in two Phase III studies, in early (NCT05357989) and advanced Parkinson’s disease, respectively. This interview took place at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) 2022 in San Diego, CA.
