PharmaVoice’s Post

Clinical Trials Updates: AbbVie is investing heavily ($2 billion) in a collaboration with Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals to develop next-generation psychedelic therapies for mental health conditions. These "neuroplasticgens" aim to offer the benefits of psychedelics (treating anxiety and depression) with fewer side effects (like hallucinations). This deal highlights the growing interest in psychedelics for treating mental health, with AbbVie joining other pharma companies like Reunion Neuroscience and MindMed in exploring this area. https://lnkd.in/ecEpXbkj #medicalaffairs #clinicaldevelopment #clinicaljobs #medicaljobs #pharma #clinicaltrials

SPHERE Coaching - CBD’s Neuroprotective Properties Explored Summary: Cannabinol (CBN), a cannabinoid derived from cannabis, offers neuroprotective properties that could treat neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and traumatic brain injuries. Their study details how CBN and its newly developed analogs prevent mitochondrial dysfunction in neurons, a common factor in these diseases. The team synthesized four CBN-based compounds, finding one, in particular, to be highly effective in a fruit fly model of brain injury. These findings not only highlight CBN’s therapeutic potential but also pave the way for […] #BeAbrainOwner https://vist.ly/z97d

Tackling the opioid epidemic is no easy task. Applauds to the Otis Lab for doing this important work to advance the science, and ultimately the treatment and rehabilitation efforts, behind this devastating disease. As we approach the nearly 35 year mark of the opioid epidemic, we are still seeing fluctuation in the data and it's not all trending in the right direction. Per the CDC, "The number of people who died from a drug overdose in 2021 was over six times the number in 1999. The number of drug overdose deaths increased more than 16% from 2020 to 2021. Over 75% of the nearly 107,000 drug overdose deaths in 2021 involved an opioid. From 2020 to 2021: Opioid-involved death rates increased by over 15%. Prescription opioid-involved death rates remained the same. Heroin-involved death rates decreased nearly 32%. Synthetic opioid-involved death rates (excluding methadone) increased over 22%." (Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. https://lnkd.in/geG4khvb) These researchers, on the frontlines doing this bench work, are what it's going to take to see real progress in helping people. #OtisLabRocks

Brain research can indeed be difficult, expensive and risky, as this article outlines. Our value-added medicines in the CNS space are designed to provide patient-centric improvements to known molecules, unlocking value and providing companies with new products while drastically reducing time to market. Reach out if you’re seeking novel products to enhance your CNS portfolio.

Once a cornerstone of large pharmaceutical firms, psychiatric drugs have been passed over for much of the last 20 years. Developers and investors gave various reasons for the collective retreat, but their decisions ultimately came down to dollars and cents math. Brain research had become too difficult, expensive and risky, and easier money could be made elsewhere. The pullback has left a void of novel treatments for the hundreds of millions of people with conditions like schizophrenia, depression and substance use disorder. Now, for the first time in ages, neuropsychiatry is back in focus thanks to a trio of events. Last month, Bristol Myers Squibb closed its $14 billion purchase of Karuna Therapeutics, a Boston biotechnology company with a new and closely watched drug for schizophrenia. That drug, called KarXT, may received FDA approval before the end of September. Separately, AbbVie is trying to absorb Cerevel Therapeutics, a company working on a similar schizophrenia therapy, through a $9 billion acquisition. While doctors and researchers welcome this interest and argue it’s necessary to propel the field forward, they also wonder whether the renewed investment will be short-lived, as many of the issues that historically held back this area of drug development remain unresolved. “The past is a very good predictor of the future,” said Paul Kenny, chair of the neuroscience department and director of the Drug Discovery Institute at Mount Sinai Health System. “I think pharma more will likely remain skeptical and trepidatious, because that’s been the case for at least the past 10 years.” “I don’t know what’s going to change that,” Kenny said. “Something big would need to happen.” My latest for BioPharma Dive: #biotechnology #pharmaceutical #neuroscience #neuropsych #research #drugdevelopment #science https://lnkd.in/e-8WnRkQ

Exciting news! Our latest paper, titled "G protein-specific mechanisms in the serotonin 5-HT2A receptor regulate psychosis-related effects and memory deficits" has been published in the prestigious journal Nature Communications. Dive into our groundbreaking findings that shed light on the intricate role of G proteins in modulating psychosis-related effects and memory deficits, and open new avenues for personalized treatments for schizophrenia. Access the full article here: https://lnkd.in/gqRY5ctj. #Neuropharmacology #PsychosisResearch #NatureCommunications

Cobenfy - BMS's New Drug in Schizophrenia Approved in Over a Decade 🌟         BMS’s Cobenfy finally won FDA approval in schizophrenia – marking success in the story of BMS’s acquisition of Karuna Therapeutics earlier this year. BMS acquired Karuna for over USD 14 billion. 🌟         Cobenfy possesses a new MOA. Instead of acting on dopamine receptors like every other approved drug in schizophrenia in the last 20 years, Cobenfy acts on muscarinic receptors. This drug is also reviving the industry’s interest in muscarinic agonism as an MOA. 🌟        While Cobenfy won’t be for every schizophrenia patient, it will be an option for patients who do not respond to existing treatments. 🌟         The drug will be available starting October in the US at a price of USD 1850 a month – in line with other schizophrenia treatments. 🌟         The approval of this drug marks a significant milestone for schizophrenia patients who have been stuck with very limited treatment options for decades, with most drugs only acting on hallucinations and delusions. Cobenfy claims to also reduce apathy and lack of motivation, which are significant QoL impacting factors. #Cobenfy #BMS #neuroscience #karuna #schizophrenia

🚨 Bristol Myers Squibb's Karuna buyout pays off with FDA approval for novel schizophrenia med Cobenfy After decades of stagnation in the schizophrenia field, Bristol Myers Squibb’s $14 billion deal for Karuna Therapeutics has borne fruit with the approval of a promising new drug. BMS’ first-in-class drug KarXT - now dubbed Cobenfy - won a landmark FDA approval Thursday to treat adults with schizophrenia. The medicine represents the first antipsychotic that targets cholinergic receptors as opposed to dopamine receptors, the FDA noted in a release. Roughly 24 million people live with schizophrenia worldwide, with around 2.8 million people suffering from the ailment in the U.S., according to BMS. But just 1.6 million of those U.S. patients are treated, BMS’ chief medical officer, Samit Hirawat, M.D., said in an interview. That's due in large part to the hefty side effect burden of current schizophrenia medicines on the market, he explained. Among the patients who are treated, around 70% eventually go off their medicines because of that side effect burden. Side effects of current schizophrenia medicines include weight gain, movement disorders, excessive sedation and more, BMS’ chief commercialization officer, Adam Lenkowsky, added during the interview. By comparison, Cobenfy’s principal side effects are nausea, vomiting and constipation, which are transient and can be treated with common antiemetics, he explained. Full article from Fierce Pharma in the comments ⬇️ #schizophrenia #fdaapproval #neuroscience

Mind-bending experiences..... A recent study zeroes in on the untapped world of serotonergic psychedelics, known for their potential to rapidly and sustainably ease mental health issues. However, their hallucinogenic side effects is probably not ideal if you're not into 'trippin'. The study aims to uncouple these effects from their therapeutic benefits, focusing on how they interact with the 5-HT2AR receptor in the brain. The authors developed new compounds to understand the role of this receptor more clearly. They found that classic psychedelics don't favor any specific brain signaling pathway. By tweaking the structure of these compounds, they could selectively target certain pathways, potentially leading to therapies that retain the benefits of psychedelics without the so called highs. Their work could be a game-changer in drug development, offering insights into how psychedelics work at the molecular level. It's a step towards developing treatments that could keep the helpful aspects of these substances while putting aside the psychedelic side effects. https://lnkd.in/e8y4uWmr

Better. Clinical. Outcomes. When it comes to brain and mental health, patients deserve better. One of the answers? Neuroimaging. While a staple in neuroscience research, in many cases neuroimaging just hasn’t translated as it should into drug development, nor clinical care. This need for neuroimaging to translate into better outcomes is the main reason I got into the neuroimaging industry in the first place. So I was thrilled to read Amit Etkin and his team at Alto Neuroscience’s latest article on a call for the use of neuroimaging to de-risk drug development and help improve outcomes. A necessary call to change what is a “low-odds trial-and-error process” when it comes to drug development. It’s a process that is not only costly for pharma, but ultimately isn’t a system that translates into better clinical outcomes. Time for that to change – and it no doubt will with incredible teams like Alto leading the charge 👏 🧠 👇 https://lnkd.in/eBWn_ATw (Also personally thrilled to see MEG included as a modality to consider for phase 1 trials. A modality we at MYndspan – unsurprisingly - feel has far more to give than has traditionally been thought!)