KW-6002 (Kyowa Hakko Kogyo).

Kyowa Hakko is developing KW-6002, an adenosine A2A receptor antagonist, for the potential treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD) [183211]. The company subsequently began evaluating the compound for depression, and in June 2000 initiated a phase II trial for this indication. Good results have been obtained in a preclinical depression model and Kyowa Hakko hopes that KW-6002 will be representative of a new class of antidepressants [376107]. KW-6002 is undergoing phase II trials for PD in Japan [343257] and in Europe, including the UK 1271929], [321641], [402754]. As expected, KW-6002 entered phase II trials for PD in the US in October 1999 [321640], [342643], [360980], [402754]. The drug is of particular interest due to the absence of the involuntary movement adverse effects characteristic of L-DOPA therapy [271929]. Roche was to codevelop KW-6002 with Kyowa in the US and Europe, but withdrew from the development of this drug in April 1999 [321640]. Kyowa will continue with the drug's development in the US [321640]. NDAs are estimated to be filed around the end of 2001 and the drug is expected to be launched in Western Europe during 2002. An NDA is expected to be filed in Japan approximately three to four years later than in Western Europe [271929].