In a deal that could be worth up to $565 million, Simcere Pharmaceutical Group Ltd. licensed in glutaminyl cyclase inhibitor varoglutamstat (PQ-912) and monoclonal N3pE-antibody PBD-C06, which target the neurotoxic amyloid species N3pE (pGlu-Abeta), from Vivoryon Therapeutics AG to develop and commercialize for Alzheimer’s disease in greater China.

In a deal that could be worth up to $565 million, Simcere Pharmaceutical Group Ltd. licensed in glutaminyl cyclase inhibitor varoglutamstat (PQ-912) and monoclonal N3pE-antibody PBD-C06, which target the neurotoxic amyloid species N3pE (pGlu-Abeta), from Vivoryon Therapeutics AG to develop and commercialize for Alzheimer’s disease in greater China.

Researchers from Finland and Italy published a biomarker-based algorithm for the diagnosis of dementia in the journal Diagnostics. The algorithm enables clinicians to distinguish between various neurodegenerative diseases with shared clinical presentations and select appropriate treatment. The algorithm relies primarily on blood biomarker measurements to diagnose the type of dementia much earlier than is possible with the diagnostic tools in use today.

Amid a mix of controversy and clinical progress, the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference 2021 kicked off July 26 in Denver and online, delivering both new clinical data and insights into a key form of dementia affecting as many as 35 million people worldwide and growing. While interest in Biogen Inc.'s recently approved Aduhelm (aducanumab) remained high, new data on investigational therapies from Synaptogenix Inc. and Inmune Bio Inc. also drew attention, weighing on shares of both companies. New epidemiological research also revealed the first evidence that reducing air pollution may improve cognitive function and reduce dementia risk.

Happify Inc. launched Ensemble, a prescription digital therapy designed to treat patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) or generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). The app joins several others that target both depression and anxiety, including the eponymous apps made by Woebot Health (Woebot Labs Inc.) and Youper Inc., although it is the only one that requires a prescription in the pack.

PERTH, Australia – The FDA gave the thumbs up to Omniscient Neurotechnology Ltd.’s Quicktome, the first brain connectomics planning software that provides neurosurgeons with a digital brain mapping platform to visualize and understand a patient's brain networks before performing brain surgery. By visualizing networks that are responsible for complex functions such as language, movement, and cognition, Quicktome assists neurosurgeons in making more informed decisions and reduces surgical uncertainty.

DUBLIN – Coave Therapeutics unveiled a new identity and a new gene therapy platform, as it closed a €21.2 million (US$25 million) extension to its long-running series B round, which takes the total raise to €33 million.

Fibromyalgia is an often debilitating condition, characterized by chronic pain throughout the body that can leave patients fatigued, depressed and unable to perform even the simplest of activities. While a handful of drugs have been approved to treat this autoimmune disorder, they can have unpleasant side effects and do not benefit all patients. To that end, the FDA has granted a breakthrough device designation to Neurometrix Inc.’s Quell wearable neurostimulation device for treating the symptoms of fibromyalgia in adults.