CNS

Deal Snapshot: Seeking to bring a disease-modifying Parkinson’s drug to market, Novartis will team with UCB on developing and commercializing UCB0599, a Phase II oral alpha-synuclein inhibitor.

After returning to the neuroscience space in the summer through a big-money deal with Alector, GlaxoSmithKline is setting up an institute with the University of Oxford that will target neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, frontal temporal dementia, ALS and pain.

Chinese firm BeyondSpring dealt a setback after the US FDA refuses to approve plinabulin for chemotherapy-induced neutropenia.

Private Company Edition: Scrip spoke with DDF US partner Jonathan Behr about the convergence of emerging science, venture capital investment and rising big pharma interest in neurodegeneration. Also, in recent VC financings HotSpot raised $100m, while Curie and Ablaze debuted with $75m each. 

Data from SHORELINE’s 50mg cohort sparked mixed opinions from analysts, with some suggesting they still showed a risk-benefit profile that could challenge the drug commercially.

Despite recent setbacks for Roche and Wave's respective antisense offerings, both those two firms and a number of other companies are trying a variety of approaches to find a treatment for Huntington's.

Emerging Company Profile: Cybin’s novel approach to psilocybin therapeutics aims for better safety, shorter duration and less variability through the process of deuteration.

Deal Snapshot: Neurocrine expanded its pipeline with rights to subtype-selective muscarinic M4, M1 and dual M1/M4 receptor agonists discovered by Sosei.

The EMA’s likely rejection is no surprise for Biogen and Eisai, but adds to problems in the same week as Biogen’s R&D leader announced his departure.

BMS is advancing a growing Phase I and II R&D pipeline, including a Factor XIa inhibitor with lower bleeding risk than current anticoagulants, as well as other internal and external research programs.

Another hard-to-explain result in Alzheimer’s, with AC Immune claiming the first ever validation of anti-tau therapy, but others are more circumspect.

Despite 23 years at Biogen assisting in the development of several drugs, Sandrock's legacy will be tied to Alzheimer’s drug Aduhelm.