7:04AM Acorda Therapeutics announces GGF2 preclinical data on treatment of erectile dysfunction; treatment with Glial Growth Factor 2 improved erectile function in an animal model following a cavernous nerve injury (ACOR) 23.06 : Co announced data from a preclinical study showed that treatment with Glial Growth Factor 2 (GGF2) improved erectile function in an animal model following a cavernous nerve injury, a common complication of prostate surgery. The study evaluated erectile function in five treatment groups of rats: two groups that did not have CN injury, one of which received an inactive control solution and the other received 15 mg/kg of GGF2, and three groups with a crush injury of the CN that received the inactive control, the 15 mg/kg dose of GGF2 or a lower dose of GGF2 (5 mg/kg). Treatments were administered subcutaneously 24 hours before the injury, 24 hours after and then once weekly for five weeks. Nerve function was assessed using electrical stimulation of the nerve and recording intracavernous pressure, a standard measure of erectile function. During low-level stimulation, pressure was increased more in the lower dose GGF2 group than in the higher dose group or the inactive control group. During higher-level stimulation, pressure was improved in both lower and higher dose GGF2 groups compared to the control group, and was similar to the two groups that did not receive nerve injury. Electron microscopic evaluation of the cavernous nerve showed a greater number of nerve fibers in the GGF2 treated groups at 5 weeks following the injury.
