Curemark commences enrollment in Phase III CM-AT clinical trials for autism treatment

Oct 15 2009

Curemark, LLC, a drug research and development company focused on the treatment of neurological diseases, announced that it has enrolled the first patients in Phase III clinical trials for its autism treatment, CM-AT. The first clinical trial patients have been enrolled at Lake Mary Pediatrics in Orange City, Florida, one of 12 clinical trial sites with a total 170 children across the country.

CM-AT is based on research by Curemark founder and CEO Dr. Joan Fallon that showed enzyme deficiencies in autistic children, resulting in an inability to digest protein. The inability to digest protein affects the production of amino acids, the building blocks of chemicals essential for brain function.

"We are very excited to be enrolling our first children in the Phase III trials for CM-AT. Our progress with the clinical trials culminates years of research resulting in the breakthrough discovery of this therapy for children with autism," Fallon said. "We're hopeful that CM-AT will be one of the first therapies to address the underlying physiology of autism, rather than just treat its symptoms."

A new study released in early October by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) showed that the number of children affected by autism is much higher than originally thought. According to the study, autism affects 1 in 91 children and about 1 in 58 boys, totaling an estimated 673,000 or approximately 1% of all children in the U.S.