Researchers have defined an amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) reversal phenotype as having an initial diagnosis of ALS but subsequently showing a progressive and sustained clinical improvement, based on an unusual case they found.

At the recent American College of Neuropsychopharmacology meeting, Trevena Inc. presented preclinical data for the novel selective sphingosine 1-phosphate S1P1 receptor modulator TRV-045, being developed for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN).

While early stage and involving a relatively small patient population, the interim phase Ib readout from the combination cohort testing estrogen receptor (ER)-targeting candidate vepdegestrant in combination with CDK4/6 inhibitor Ibrance (palbociclib) in heavily pretreated patients with ER-positive/HER2-negative breast cancer was impressive enough to prompt partners Arvinas Inc. and Pfizer Inc. to expand development work on the program. The results also struck a chord on the Street, with shares of Arvinas (NASDAQ:ARVN) gaining 31% on the day.

Serotonin 5-HT2 receptor agonists have shown efficacy in treating seizure disorders, such as epilepsy. At the American Epilepsy Society meeting this week, Longboard Pharmaceuticals Inc. presented data on their 5-HT2C receptor superagonist LP-352 for the treatment of epilepsy.

Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is the most common form of focal epilepsy characterized by recurrent seizures originating in the hippocampus and with sprouting of mossy fiber axons that contribute to new recurrent synaptic excitability in the dentate gyrus (DG).