Minster Pharmaceuticals to collaborate with University of Copenhagen toinvestigate the potential of tonabersat in the prevention of migraine with aura

Minster Pharmaceuticals, the AIM-listed (AIM: MPM) drug development company, today announced a collaboration with University of Copenhagen and Danish Headache Centre at Glostrup Hospital, to evaluate the use of its development drug, tonabersat, in migraine with aura.

In this condition, which affects a significant section of the population suffering from migraine, the migraine headache is preceded by disturbances of vision, often accompanied by significant nausea and other unpleasant symptoms.

Agreement has been reached to conduct a Phase II clinical study to evaluate tonabersat in the prophylaxis (prevention) of this type of migraine with its troublesome symptoms for which no specific treatments are currently available. This study is expected to be part of a broader collaboration between Minster, the University of Copenhagen and other centres investigating the mechanisms underlying migraine.

Professor Jes Olesen, one of Europe’s leading neurologists and past president of the International Headache Society, who will be leading the study, stated, “We are learning more all the time about the underlying causes of migraine and the aura which frequently precedes the headache phase of an attack. Tonabersat, with its novel mechanism of action as a gap junction blocker, has the potential to offer an effective and well-tolerated preventative for sufferers of this frequently troublesome condition. For this reason we will be providing a significant contribution to the financing of this programme from research grants.”

Paul Sharpe, Chairman and CEO Minster Pharmaceuticals, added, “This collaboration with the prestigious Danish Headache Centre at University of Copenhagen, Glostrup Hospital represents a significant enhancement of our development programme with tonabersat. The study complements our on-going Phase II prophylaxis study in the general migraine population and is expected to provide major insights into the use of tonabersat in the preventitive treatment of this common and under-treated condition. It represents a further significant step towards the establishment of tonabersat as a preventative treatment for migraine.”