UCB SA is divesting its mature neurology and allergy business in China, selling those products to CBC Group and Mubadala Investment Co. for $680 million so it can refocus on innovation and partnerships in China. The deal includes UCB’s manufacturing site in Zhuhai in Guangdong province.

People with the rare inherited metabolic disorder Gaucher disease have a deficiency in the lipid-digesting glucocerebrosidase enzyme, which causes the accumulation of harmful levels of glucolipids in various organs. The enzyme has a very short half-life, which rules out enzyme replacement as an effective therapy, and as things stand, there are few treatments for this and other lysosomal storage diseases (LSDs). Now, researchers have discovered two small molecules that enhance the activity of glucocerebrosidase in cellular models of LSD, pointing to a potential new approach to treating these diseases.

All patients dosed in a phase IIa trial with Tryptamine Therapeutics Ltd.’s (Tryp) oral psilocybin (TRP-8802) trial reported an improvement in fibromyalgia pain severity, sleep, and pain interference.

Scientists at Harvard Medical School have shown that in mice lacking amyloid beta (Aβ), the fundamental hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD), neurons died from the effect of the most harmful mutation of this neurodegenerative disease. They showed that presenilin (PS) could be behind the origin of the disease without the need for Aβ. They maintain that it is time to update theories and redirect efforts.

After sparking further interest from investors after the close of its series A, Vandria SA has extended the round and now has the means to advance its lead mitophagy inducer program as far as phase Ib/IIa development in the treatment of mild cognitive impairment.

The U.K. has become the first country in Europe to approve Leqembi (lecanemab), but as the breakthrough decision was announced, the health technology assessment body NICE said the benefits are too small to justify the cost of providing the Alzheimer’s disease therapy on the National Health Service (NHS).

The risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) is nearly four times as high for women as it is for men. And that relative risk has increased sharply over time. In 1955, women were only slightly more likely than men to develop MS. A research team at the University of Toronto and the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF) has gained new insights into possible causes for this increasing disparity.

With a move into Lilly Gateway Labs in Boston’s Seaport District, privately held Tevard Biosciences Inc. is ramping up development of its transfer RNA (tRNA)-based therapies to cure everything from Dravet syndrome and other neurological conditions to cardiology indications and muscular dystrophies.

Speculation about potentially wider meaning among developers of psychedelic drugs was reignited after the complete response letter (CRL) from the U.S. FDA to Lykos Therapeutics Inc. for midomafetaminecapsules, which the company wants to use in combination with psychological intervention to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). CEO Amy Emerson called the FDA move “deeply disappointing,” adding that San Jose, Calif.-based Lykos plans to request a meeting with the FDA to ask for reconsideration.