Benzinga | Dec 30, 2020 09:05AM EST

VistaGen Reports Publication Of Proposed Mechanism Of Action In Neuroactive Nasal Spray For Anxiety, Depression Disorders

VistaGen Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VTGN), a biopharmaceutical company committed to developing a new generation of medicines with the potential to go beyond the current standard of care for anxiety, depression and other central nervous system (CNS) disorders, announced today that Dr. Louis Monti, VistaGen Vice President, Translational Medicine, and Dr. Michael Liebowitz, VistaGen CNS Clinical and Regulatory Advisory Board Member, authored an article published in CNS Spectrums, a Cambridge University Press journal, on the proposed mechanism of action of the Company's investigational neuroactive nasal sprays, PH94B and PH10, currently in development as potential rapid-onset treatments for anxiety and depression disorders, respectively.1 The publication details the proposed neural circuits mediating the mechanism of action of pherines, including PH94B and PH10, which are synthetic neuroactive steroids designed to engage nasal chemosensory receptors and produce rapid-onset anxiolytic and antidepressant effects, respectively.

PH94B and PH10, which are administered in microgram-level doses, are designed to achieve therapeutic benefits without requiring systemic uptake, potentially avoiding the side effects and safety concerns often associated with current antidepressants and anxiolytics, including benzodiazepines.

"PH94B and PH10 were discovered and developed for their specific therapeutic potential to treat anxiety and depression disorders, representing a new class of neuropharmaceuticals," said Dr. Monti. "When current anxiolytics and antidepressants drugs are administered systemically, milligram-level doses of the drugs are often needed to achieve the desired therapeutic effects. In contrast, with the innovative pharmacology of PH94B and PH10, we believe only microgram-level doses administered intranasally onto the receptors in the nasal passage are required to achieve the desired neural activity."

"Bringing hope to individuals who continue to suffer from anxiety and depression is at the core of VistaGen's mission," added Shawn Singh, VistaGen's Chief Executive Officer. "This publication, authored by Drs. Monti and Liebowitz, demonstrates the exciting potential of pherines, including both PH94B and PH10, to become paradigm-shifting treatments in our efforts to improve global mental health, an unmet need that is perhaps more apparent now than ever before as a result of the devastating COVID-19 pandemic. We have an exciting opportunity to make a difference, and we look forward to keeping our stakeholders informed of our progress on that goal."

Before his appointment at VistaGen, Dr. Monti served in multiple leadership roles at Pherin Pharmaceuticals, including President and CEO, Executive Vice President and Vice President of Research.

Dr. Liebowitz is a professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University and the former Director and Founder of the Anxiety Disorders Clinic at the New York State Psychiatric Institute. He retired in 2006 as the Director of the Anxiety Disorders Clinic, a position that he held since 1982, and is a member of the American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology, Anxiety Disorder Association of America Scientific Advisory Board, American College of Neuropsychopharmacology and American Psychiatric Association.