Firm Plans Human Tests of Memory Drug

It’s another first for NeoTherapeutics Inc.

The Newport Beach-based drug development company, which went public last fall, recently filed its first request for U.S. regulatory approval to test an experimental therapy for Alzheimer’s disease in elderly patients without the disease. Safety tests in mice, rats and dogs have indicated no apparent adverse side effects, the company said. It now aims to check the drug’s toxicity in 10 to 20 senior citizens.

The company also said tests indicate that the drug--AIT-082--increased the level of growth factors and short-term memory in mice. Dr. Alvin J. Glasky, NeoTherapeutics’ chief executive and the drug’s inventor, said that while mice typically begin to lose their memories when they’re about 16 months old, the drug appeared to delay the memory loss.

In a test group of about 50 drug-treated mice, he said, half didn’t begin losing memory until they were 18 months old, and the rest retained their memories until they were 2 years old.

Assuming the FDA approves the safety tests in human beings, a nationwide group of cancer centers would conduct the trials on a federal grant.

NeoTherapeutics recently began trials for both the drug’s safety and effectiveness on Alzheimer’s patients in Canada.