Bipolar disorder is a medical illness that causes extreme shifts in mood, energy, and functioning. These changes may be subtle or dramatic and typically vary greatly over the course of a person's life as well as among individuals. Over 10 million people in America have bipolar disorder, and the illness affects men and women equally. Bipolar disorder is a chronic and generally life-long condition with recurring episodes of mania and depression that can last from days to months that often begin in adolescence or early adulthood, and occasionally even in children. Most people generally require some sort of lifelong treatment. While medication is one key element in successful treatment of bipolar disorder, psychotherapy, support, and education about the illness are also essential components of the treatment process.¹

¹The National Alliance on Mental Illness website:
http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=By_Illness&Template=/TaggedPage/TaggedPageDisplay.cfm&TPLID=54&ContentID=23037 accessed August 20, 2010

SMP-986

SMP-986 is a potential treatment for overactive bladder syndrome, a widespread condition characterized by a sudden, uncontrolled need to urinate frequently, often coupled with day and/or nighttime incontinence. Although the exact cause remains unknown, contributing factors may include stroke, nerve damage, neurological disease, or drug side effects. Individuals suffering from depression, anxiety disorders, and attention deficit disorder also tend to have a higher incidence of this syndrome. SMP-986 was developed in-house by Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Co., Ltd. (DSP) and is currently in the Phase II trials in the U.S., Europe and Japan.

SEP-228432
SEP-228432 is a new triple reuptake inhibitor (TRI),that inhibits reuptake of serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine. The compound is under development for central nervous disorders (CNS) such as neuropathic pain and major depressive disorder (MDD). SEP-228432 is in the Phase I development stage in the U.S.

Neuropathic Pain

Neuropathic pain is a disease or disorder that involves the nerve as the source of the pain and is part of the larger syndrome of “neuropathy” which is a disorder/dysfunction of peripheral nerves.  Peripheral neuropathy usually affects the hands, and feet causing weakness, numbness, tingling and pain.  According to the Neuropathy Association it is estimated that approximately 20 million Americans suffer from this disorder.* There are many cause of neuropathy such as diabetes, autoimmune disorders, tumors and heredity. Some types of peripheral neuropathy can be cured but most cannot. However, many can be helped through therapy or the right medication.

* http://www.neuropathy.org/site/PageServer?pagename=About_Facts

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD)

MDD is also called major depression, a serious medical illness which is diagnosed if a person has five or more depressive symptoms for at least 2 weeks and is a highly treatable disorder. Symptoms can include sadness, change in weight, difficulty sleeping, loss of energy, thoughts of death or suicide. The first step to getting treatment is to visit a doctor. Once diagnosed, a person with depression can be treated with a number of methods, the most common, medication and psychotherapy. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 9% of adult americans currently meet the criteria for clinical depression.*

* http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_103901.html

DSP-8658
DSP-8658, developed in-house by DSP research is a drug candidate for the treatment of diabetes. Non-clinical studies suggest that this drug candidate may offer advantages over marketed PPARγ agonists, particularly with respect to improvements in lipid metabolism and incidence of fluid retention or body weight gain. DSP-8658 is in the Phase I development stage in the U.S.

Diabetes

Diabetes, a serious lifelong condition, is a metabolism disorder which is the way the body uses digested food for growth and energy. There are three types of diabetes; type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes and gestational diabetes. According to the National Institute of Health, an estimated 23.6 million people in the United States have diabetes. Of those, 17.9 million have been diagnosed, and 5.7 million have not yet been diagnosed. In 2007, about 1.6 million people ages 20 or older were diagnosed with diabetes and according to the Centers of Disease Control (CDC), it is projected that the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes in the United States will increase 165 percent by 2050.

* The National Institute of Health website: http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/overview/index.htm accessed September 12, 2010

Alzheimer's disease (AD)
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an age-related, non-reversible brain disorder that develops over a period of years. People with Alzheimer's disease experience memory loss and confusion, which are sometimes mistaken for the kinds of memory changes that are occasionally associated with normal aging. The symptoms of AD gradually lead to behavior and personality changes, a decline in cognitive abilities such as decision-making and language skills, and problems recognizing family and friends. AD ultimately leads to a severe loss of mental function. These losses are related to the worsening breakdown of the connections between certain neurons in the brain and their eventual death. AD is one of a group of disorders called dementias that are characterized by cognitive and behavioral problems. It is the most common cause of dementia in people 65 and older.

* The National Institute of Health website: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/alzheimersdisease/alzheimersdisease.htm accessed February 2, 2011