China’s Wanbangde New Building Materials Co., Ltd (SHE: 002082) has announced that its subsidiary, Wanbangde Pharmaceutical Group, has received a rare pediatric disease (RPD) designation from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its drug huperzine A. This designation is for the treatment of neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), a brain injury disease affecting newborns due to brain tissue hypoxia and reduced cerebral blood flow.
Treatment options for neonatal HIE are currently limited to supportive therapy, seizure control, management of cerebral edema, and mild hypothermia treatment. Huperzine A, with its primary mechanism of action being the inhibition of acetylcholinesterase, offers potential anti-inflammatory, antioxidant stress, and neuroprotective effects. It has been found to be effective in treating benign memory disorders and improving various cognitive functions, including directional memory and associative learning. Additionally, it has shown promise in improving memory disorders associated with dementia and organic brain lesions and is also utilized in the treatment of myasthenia gravis.
In China, Wanbangde markets huperzine A in the form of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and a formulated injection project. The company is also progressing with the clinical development of a controlled-release tablet form of the drug.- Flcube.com
