CoCensys of Irvine Testing Chemical to Treat Insomnia

CoCensys Inc., an Irvine pharmaceutical research firm, said it has begun clinical tests at a London hospital to determine how a chemical could be used to treat human sleeping disorders without some of the adverse side effects of current treatments.

The first of about 50 patients underwent tests at Guy’s Hospital last month after the company received approval from the British government to begin clinical trials. The company is also seeking approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to perform clinical tests in this country.

The British tests are the first of many planned during the next few years that involve the chemical epalon, a naturally produced compound formed when the body breaks down the hormone progesterone.

In the nervous system, epalon interacts with gamma-aminobutyric acid, which calms excited neurons. Researchers say that epalon enhances the acids and therefore helps to control over-excited nerves that lead to insomnia.

Drugs on the market today, such as Halcion, help patients sleep but often leave them feeling drowsy or groggy the next day, said CoCensys Chairman Robert McNeil. In contrast, the epalon compound treats more specific regions of the brain, minimizing the side effects.

CoCensys, which has about two dozen employees, was founded in 1989 by a team of researchers from the University of Southern California and at Sanderling Ventures, a private firm in Menlo Park, Calif. The company has raised about $3.7 million for epalon research.