Synosia trials nitisinone for restless legs syndrome
Synosia Therapeutics, of Basel, Switzerland, has started a clinical trial to evaluate nitisinone (SYN-118), an inhibitor of hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD), as a treatment for restless legs syndrome (RLS).
Synosia Therapeutics, of Basel, Switzerland, has started a clinical trial to evaluate nitisinone (SYN-118), an inhibitor of hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD), as a treatment for restless legs syndrome (RLS).
The trial is a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in patients with moderate to severe symptoms of RLS. It is being conducted in two European centres: the Somni Bene Institute for Medical Research and Sleep Medicine in Schwerin, Germany and the University Hospital for Neurology in Innsbruck, Austria.
Results will be assessed using objective motor signs such as periodic limb movements and subjective severity ratings scales.
This is Synosia’s second trial using nitisinone, which is already under investigation for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.
RLS is one of the most common, yet under-diagnosed, neurological disorders, which in its more severe forms affects an estimated 2.5% of the population in the US and Europe.
Nitisinone inhibits the enzyme HPPD from breaking down tyrosine, the precursor of the neurotransmitter dopamine, resulting in persistent elevation of plasma tyrosine. This mode of action is expected to produce stable increases in brain dopamine levels and therefore offers an attractive alternative to current dopaminergic therapies for RLS, the company said.
