Parkinson's treatment co NeuroDerm gets $400,000 grant

The Office of the Chief Scientist has provided NeuroDerm Ltd. a $400,000 grant. The company has developed a levodopa skin patch for Parkinson's disease. The company was named an outstanding incubator project in 2007.

The current most common treatment for Parkinson's disease is a levodopa tablet. Levadopa compensates for the lack of dopamine in the brain, which is the cause of Parkinson's disease. NeuroDerm's skin patch enables non-invasive continuous delivery of the drug. Oral or intravenous delivery of Levadopa causes the fluctuations of the drug in the bloodstream because it dissipates within 90 minutes of delivery. The company hopes that its continuous delivery of Levadopa can minimize, or even reverse, some of the disabling late motor complications associated with oral Levadopa, and possibly prevent or significantly delay the later emergence of dyskinesia and other late stage motor complications.

In May 2006, the Michael J. Fox Foundation awarded NeuroDerm a grant for its patch. Other investors include Omrix Biopharmaceuticals Ltd. (Nasdaq:OMRI) founder, president and CEO Robert Taub, Dr. Shmuel Cabily, and Uwe Wascher. The company was founded by chief scientist Prof. Eliyahu Heldman and its chairman and CEO is Dr. Oded Lieberman.

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on December 4, 2008