Israel Active

Israel’s Neurim is conducting a Phase 2 trial of its Piromelatine treatment, for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The 26-week trial will compare once-daily oral doses of Piromelatine to placebo in approximately 500 patients diagnosed with mild AD.

I highlighted Teva’s SD-809 (deutetrabenazine) treatment for tardive dyskinesia. The disease causes uncontrollable movements in around 500,000 US patients. The second Phase III trial of the treatment produced statistically significant results.

Israel’s CollPlant has been awarded the EU CE Mark for VergenixSTR, a soft tissue repair matrix for the treatment of tendinopathy (tendon injury or disease and associated pain).  VergenixSTR is based on CollPlant’s proprietary plant-based collagen technology.

United Nations peacekeeping forces are to participate in a special emergency field medicine seminar headed by the Israeli military and local medical professionals. They will learn the unique methods Israel uses to deal with cases involving emergency medicine on the ground.

I reported previously on the Hebrew University scientists’ peptide treatment for HIV that uses multiple copies of the virus to make it self-destruct. It has now been tested on the blood from AIDS patients and has similar results to earlier clinical trials.

Israel’s Therapix Biosciences has developed a unique tablet for sublingual (under the tongue) administration of THC. A clinical trial of this tablet is anticipated to commence early 2017 for treatment of impairments in cognitive functioning, including early stages of Alzheimer's disease.

Israel has 3.4 doctors per 1000 residents (OECD average is 3.3 per 1000).  But for the 24,000 residents of the Israeli-Arab village of Arraba in the Galilee, there are 6 doctors per 1000 residents. Dr. Hatim Kanaaneh is credited with boosting numbers of local Arab doctors.

I reported previously that Israel’s Chief Scientist has licensed medical incubator MEDX.  Now MEDX has been formally launched and plans to submit 3-4 projects to the Israel Innovation Authority in the coming months. It will focus on non-invasive medical devices.

Israel’s leading global equity crowdfunding platform OurCrowd has launched Qure - Israel’s first exclusively focused digital health fund. The fund will invest in innovative digital health startups. OurCrowd will work with Johns Hopkins University to bring novel ideas to market.

New ABC TV video of the 4-year human trials of the stem cell treatment from Israel’s Brainstorm on 26 ALS patients at Jerusalem’s Hadassah Medical Center. 90% have shown positive change. The patients’ own bone marrow stem cells are extracted, treated and re-inserted.