NeuroPerspective has released its May/June 2021 issue, featuring comprehensive reviews of neurotherapeutics programs addressing Schizophrenia and Multiple Sclerosis.
The Schizophrenia area has been relatively static since the field became dominated by Second Generation (‘atypical’) antipsychotics. Efforts to widen the range of symptoms effectively treated to include cognitive and negative symptoms have generally fallen short. But there are novel mechanisms now maturing that may offer a viable alternative for positive symptoms, and some, singly or as adjuncts, that may finally chip away at cognitive/negative symptomatology. Still in relative infancy are efforts to remediate the underlying synaptic connectivity issues that epitomize the neurodevelopmental nature of schizophreniform illness. Broad-spectrum options still in clinical testing include Sunovion’s TAAR1 inhibitor, SEP-363856, and Karuna Therapeutics’ KarXT, both in PhIII. Some of the promising programs specifically for cognitive/negative symptoms in the clinic come from Syndesi, Neurocrine Biosciences, Novartis/Cadent, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Biogen. Neurostructural interventions that might have a disease-modifying component tend to be earlier on, though Oryzon Genomics has their epigenetic modulator vafidemstat in PhII.
Multiple Sclerosis is, in contrast, the CNS disorder where disease-modification options (for RRMS) have multiplied in type and profile, so that patients now have a range to choose from. The CD20-targeting drugs were the first category that did not require a trade-off between efficacy and safety. BTK-inhibitors may be the next major category to emerge (Sanofi, Merck Serono, Roche), and there is ample energy going into regenerative/remyelinating programs (AbbVie, NervGen, Autobahn, Roche/Inception 5, and Biogen, to name but a few. Progressive MS has been a more challenging disease venue, but the BTK inhibitors and a program from Atara bear watching.
The issue also includes a Company Spotlight appraisal of Autobahn Therapeutics; an assessment of Acadia’s CRL for pimavanserin in dementia psychosis, and disappointing results for two high-profile Huntington’s programs, from Roche/Ionis and Wave Life Sciences.
A one-year (1-5 user) subscription to NeuroPerspective is $2900. A 6-10 user subscription is $4950. Other customized userbase and startup pricing options are available. The May/June issue covering Schizophrenia and MS is being made available as a single-issue purchase, for $600.
75 pages.
