SAN DIEGO, March 14 /PRNewswire/ -- MediciNova, Inc., (Code number: 4875, OSE Hercules Market) a specialty pharmaceutical company that is publicly traded on the Hercules Market of the Osaka Securities Exchange announced the enrollment of patients in a new Phase I clinical study with MN-221 in the United States, a novel agent for the management of preterm labor that was licensed in 2004 from Kissei Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. of Nagano, Japan. MN-221, is described as a selective beta-2 agonist, and based on preclinical and earlier clinical studies conducted by Kissei in Europe and Japan, MediciNova believes MN-221 has shown potential in preclinical and earlier clinical studies to delay premature delivery of infants due the early onset of labor in expectant mothers.

Under the licensing agreement with Kissei, MediciNova obtained exclusive worldwide rights, except for Japan, to develop and commercialize MN-221.

"According to the March of Dimes, one in eight infants in the United States is born before term. Premature babies are at a higher risk of needing hospitalization and having long-term health problems," commented Richard Gammans, Ph.D., Executive Vice President, Clinical Research at MediciNova. "We are hopeful that the current Phase I clinical study will help to identify the appropriate dosing level and provide additional safety information for MN-221 before we proceed to the next stage of evaluation. It is worth noting that there are no FDA-approved drugs for the management of preterm labor and that there may be the opportunity with MN-221 to address a major unmet medical need."

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