Novel compound improves blepharospasm, cervical dystonia

Toronto - Results of several studies suggest that the new compound NT 201 improves treatment of blepharospasm and cervical dystonia by at least 25 percent, according to news source Docguide.com.

According to a presentation by researchers at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), held here recently, the efficacy of NT 201 (botulinum neurotoxin free from complexing proteins) has been demonstrated in several controlled clinical studies of patients with focal dystonia.

Lead researcher Michael Marx, M.D., of Merz Pharmaceuticals, Germany, gave several poster presentations during which he reported that in a pooled analysis of four studies - two on blepharospasm and two on cervical dystonia - patients injected with NT 201 achieved a mean symptomatic improvement of approximately 25 percent over placebo, and more than half reported at least moderate symptomatic improvement.

NT 201 differs from other botulinum products in that the new compound is free from complexing proteins that could cause the creation of neutralizing antibodies. It is already available in Argentina, Canada, Mexico and 13 European nations.

Merz funded the study.