The Richmond-based biopharmaceutical firm Insmed Inc. has new hope for its drug Iplex.

Insmed is getting a $2.1 million grant to support clinical testing of the drug for treatment of a type of muscular dystrophy.

The Muscular Dystrophy Association announced the grant this week to Insmed, which already has conducted initial clinical trials on Iplex. The drug showed promise in treating myotonic muscular dystrophy, which causes weakness, muscle atrophy and cognitive problems. The disease affects about 37,000 people in the United States, said Geoffrey Allan, Insmed's chief executive officer.

"We have seen that up to 70 percent of patients treated with this drug have improved their endurance and ability to walk," Allan said. "They have improved muscle mass."

As part of a patent-infringement lawsuit that was settled settlement in March, Insmed agreed to pull Iplex from the market for treatment of a rare growth disorder, but the company still can develop and sell the drug for other diseases, such as insulin resistance and an HIV-related condition.

Iplex has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for treatment of muscular dystrophy. Allan said the company will conduct a six-month clinical trial involving 60 patients.

"Depending on how the data come out, we will talk with the FDA," he said. "We would like to see the drug in the marketplace around 2010 or 2011."

Allan said annual sales could be worth $500 million. "It represents a huge opportunity for a small biotechnology company."

Insmed employs about 100 people, including about 30 in Richmond. The rest work at a manufacturing plant in Colorado.
Contact John Reid Blackwell at (804) 775-8123 or jblackwell@timesdispatch.com.