Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy

Hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is a devastating type of brain injury caused when a baby’s brain does not receive enough oxygen or blood flow before or shortly after birth. About two to three in every 1,000 births in high income countries and 10-30 per 1,000 births in low- and middle-income countries will be affected by HIE, which means that many thousands of babies and children experience HIE every year. It is one of the leading causes of neonatal death and neurodevelopmental disability worldwide.

HIE can lead to a range of symptoms in surviving children, including developmental delays, cognitive impairment, cerebral palsy, and seizures. Some children develop serious long-term complications that can affect them well into adulthood. Currently, the only approved treatment for HIE is temporary hypothermia (cooling the head or whole body to lower the baby’s metabolic rate and give the brain some time to recover from the hypoxic event). Hypothermia provides a modest decrease in mortality and severe neurodevelopmental disability, however even with hypothermia, 40-45% of children who survive HIE have significant neurodevelopmental impairment at 2 years of age.

Based on its therapeutic properties and compelling data from preclinical models, Neuren believes that NNZ-2591 can potentially provide a highly differentiated form of treatment continuing beyond acute treatment in the neonatal intensive care unit to target both the acute effects and chronic impairments resulting from HIE.