Acetyl-L-Carnitine or ALCAR
Acetyl-L-Carnitine or ALCAR is a naturally occurring compound made in the body and available as a supplement. L-carnitine transports fatty acids to the mitochondria for breakdown and is also known to have an important role in glucose metabolism. ALCAR has been studied as a supplement in many diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, neurodegenerative disorder and Friedreich’s ataxia. Early studies showed that the drug was well tolerated and that there were some modest objective benefits.
INACTIVE: Stages of Development for Acetyl-L-Carnitine (ALCAR)
The drug development process can be thought of as a series of stages, and drugs must successfully pass through each stage to become available to patients. This treatment has been evaluated, and the program has been discontinued. Thus, it is not in the pipeline.
Dr. Theresa Zesiewicz at the University of South Florida conducted a long-term open label study of ALCAR examining cardiac and neurological measures in adults with FA. Proceeds from the FARA Energy Ball funded this study.
The study has been completed but no results have been published.