IRVING, TX, Sep 30, 2014 (Marketwired via COMTEX) -- Reata has received clearance from the Division of Neurology Products of the FDA to begin two new Phase 2 clinical programs in patients with Friedreich's Ataxia and Mitochondrial Myopathies. Both of these orphan diseases are associated with reduced energy production, fatigue, and impaired exercise capacity. There are no existing therapies specifically approved to treat patients with these diseases.
Friedreich's ataxia (FA) is an inherited disorder caused by defects in the gene for frataxin, a protein that regulates iron levels in the mitochondria. Defects in frataxin result in mitochondrial iron overload, causing impaired metabolism, oxidative stress, and damage to mitochondrial DNA. Patients with FA suffer progressive degeneration of the central and peripheral nervous systems, impaired coordination and gait, and fatigue from energy deprivation and muscle loss.
