What is "pridopidine"

n. An experimental drug candidate of the dopidine class.

Pridopidine (Huntexil, formerly ACR16) is an experimental drug candidate belonging to a class of agents known as dopidines, which act as dopaminergic stabilizers in the central nervous system. These compounds may counteract the effects of excessive or insufficient dopaminergic transmission, and are therefore under investigation for application in neurological and psychiatric disorders characterized by altered dopaminergic transmission, such as Huntington's disease (HD).

Pridopidine is in late-stage development by Teva Pharmaceutical Industries who acquired the rights to the product from its original developer NeuroSearch in 2012. In April 2010, NeuroSearch announced results from the largest European phase 3 study in HD carried out to date (MermaiHD). The MermaiHD study examined the effects of pridopidine in patients with HD and the results showed after six months of treatment, pridopidine improved total motor symptoms, although the primary endpoint of the study was not met. Pridopidine was well tolerated and had an adverse event profile similar to placebo.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Medicines Agency (EMA) have both indicated they will not issue approval for pridopidine to be used in human patients on the basis of the MermaiHD and HART trials, and a further, positive phase 3 trial is required for approval.