CytRx To Find Maximum Dose Of Arimoclomol

CytRx, a Los Angeles biopharmaceutical company, recently announced its intention to determine the maximum dose of its experimental drug arimoclomol that can be safely administered. The company then plans, if the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves, to test the effectiveness of that dosage in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Arimoclomol is designed to stimulate production of molecular chaperones, which repair damaged proteins or tag them for disposal. Chaperone proteins are critical for survival of stressed cells.

In September, arimoclomol was found to be safe and well tolerated in a trial that wasn’t designed to test efficacy.

If the data from the maximum dose study (conducted in healthy volunteers) support moving arimoclomol into an efficacy trial in ALS, the company will ask for FDA approval to begin this type of testing.