Framingham, Massachusetts-based Alzheon was awarded a $47 million grant over five years from the U.S. National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health. The grant is to assist with a Phase III clinical trial of ALZ-801.
ALZ-801 is an oral molecule that blocks the development of neurotoxic soluble amyloid oligomers. Abnormal accumulation of amyloid in the brain is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease. ALZ-801 can penetrate the brain, despite being taken orally, and is a small molecule prodrug of the active agent, tramiprosate. A prodrug is a biologically inactive molecule that the body metabolizes to produce a drug.