PHOENIX (July 13, 2017) – An investigational drug for people living with Alzheimer’s disease, is being tested in clinical trials at Banner Alzheimer’s Institute (BAI), under the direction of principal investigators, Dr. William Burke (in Phoenix) and Dr. Edward Zamrini (in Sun City).

The SUVN502 Study, a Phase II trial sponsored by Suven Life Sciences Limited, is seeking people ages 50 to 85 who have been diagnosed with moderate Alzheimer’s disease and who are taking the standard Alzheimer’s medications — donepezil (Aricept^®₎ and memantine/Namenda XR^®, or the combination product, Namzaric^®. The trial is designed to examine the safety and efficacy of SUVN-502 on mental abilities impaired by the disease.

Scientific research has shown that people with Alzheimer’s have decreased levels of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter in the brain essential for processing memory and learning.

“SUVN-502 indirectly stimulates the production of this vital chemical [acetylcholine],” said Dr. Zamrini, Director of the BAI Memory Center at Banner Sun Health Research Institute in Sun City, AZ. “SUVN-502 offers a new mechanism that may enhance the effectiveness of drugs like Aricept when production of acetylcholine in the brain is insufficient for Aricept to work.”

Dr. Zamrini said research on new medications is essential since no new drug has been approved for Alzheimer’s in more than 14 years.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, more than 5 million Americans, including 130,000 in Arizona, are living with Alzheimer’s disease. At this time, Alzheimer’s has no cure but research continues into prevention, cures and the slowing of symptoms.

Interested people and caregivers can visit www.suvn502study.com to find out more about participating in the SUVN-502 study or they can contact Banner Alzheimer’s Institute in Phoenix at (602) 839-4894, or Banner Sun Health in Sun City at (623) 832-6530.

Banner Alzheimer’s Institute (BAI) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the goal of ending Alzheimer’s disease without losing another generation. It is helping to launch a new era of Alzheimer’s research—detection, treatment and prevention at the pre-symptomatic stage—and to establish a comprehensive model of care that can be the national standard. BAI was founded in 2006 by Phoenix-based Banner Health, one of the country’s largest nonprofit healthcare systems. For more information, go to www.banneralz.org.

The drug, SUVN-502, is a member of a new class, the serotonin type 2 antagonists, for treating symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease. It works in synergy with the currently available Alzheimer’s disease treatments.  People with Alzheimer’s disease have lower levels of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter essential for memory and learning.  One action of SUVN-502 is to work with the cholinesterase inhibitor, donepezil (Aricept) to increase the brain levels of acetylcholine, improving learning and memory.

Suven Life Sciences Limited is a Hyderabad India-based company.  The US based offices of the subsidiary, Suven Inc., are located in Monmouth Junction, NJ.  Suven seeks to meet the global needs of the Life Sciences Industry by providing contract research, as well as manufacturing and supply services. They also discover and develop New Chemical Entities targeting treatment of CNS Disorders. Their vision is to be a leading company focused on treatments for unmet medical needs in mental health.  SUVN-502 is the first of several candidates currently in clinical development for the treatment of learning and memory problems.  Find out more at www.suven.com.