Eagle Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced that it has entered into an agreement with the National Institutes of Health (“NIH”)/National Institute on Drug Abuse (“NIDA”) to explore the use of Ryanodex® in the treatment of hyperthermia related to MDMA (“Ecstasy”) and Methamphetamine intoxication, which is a life-threatening condition mostly affecting adolescents and young adults.
The preclinical studies will be conducted by NIDA beginning in the summer of 2016 utilizing a well-characterized animal model. Initial results of the focused studies are anticipated in late 2016 or early 2017.
Brain hyperthermia is one of the leading causes of severe morbidity and death in MDMA (“Ecstasy”) and Methamphetamine intoxication. In 2011, the last year for which data is available, 125,000 emergency room visits were related to Ecstasy and Methamphetamine use. Methamphetamines are the fourth most reported illicit drug in emergency room visits following cocaine, marijuana, and heroin.
And, according to the Drug Abuse Warning Network (“DAWN”), the number of emergency room visits involving Ecstasy among patients younger than 21 increased 128 percent between 2005 and 2011.
