By Associated Press
Basel, Switzerland – Clinical trials have begun on a new U.S-backed drug to treat the debilitating feeling of heightened vigilance experienced by veterans with post-traumatic stress.
Swiss-based pharmaceutical company Synosia said Monday the study is funded with $1.4 million from the U.S. Defense Department and will focus on veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The company said it hopes the drug, called nepicastat, will help patients who have lost the ability to accurately assess danger, resulting in a constant sense of alertness.
Some 40,000 U.S. troops have been diagnosed with the disorder since 2003.
Synosia said the clinical trial will be conducted by researchers at veterans medical centers in Tuscaloosa, Alabama; Houston; and Charleston, South Carolina.
Initial results are expected next spring.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)