Briefing documents suggest smooth sailing for Rexulti (brexpiprazole) at the meeting to deliberate an application to expand the label of the compound from Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. and Lundbeck A/S into agitation related to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) dementia. A joint sit-down on April 14 of the U.S. FDA’s Psychopharmacologic Drugs Advisory Committee (adcom) and the Peripheral and Central Nervous System Drugs Advisory Committee will take up the matter of an add-on indication for Rexulti, a serotonin-dopamine activity modulator for schizophrenia and for the adjunctive treatment of major depressive disorder.

Prodrugs of G protein-coupled receptor GPR52 agonists have been reported in a recent Heptares Therapeutics Ltd. patent as potentially useful for the treatment of psychosis, among others.

Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Boehringer Ingelheim Pharma GmbH & Co. KG have jointly patented 3-phenoxyazetidin-1-yl-heteroaryl pyrrolidine derivative G protein-coupled receptor GPR52 agonists.

Investigators from the European Brain Research Institute (EBRI) recently presented data on an immunotherapeutic approach based on the monoclonal antibody (MAb) 12A12 for treating Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

Researchers from Biorchestra Ltd. presented preclinical data for BMD-001, a novel nanoparticle-formulated antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) being developed for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease (PD). miR-485-3p has been previously identified as a pathway and therapeutic target in neuroinflammatory disease, and the potential relevance of this target in PD was further confirmed through RNA-Seq and analysis of expression levels in animal models and patients with PD.

Research at Nanjing Minova Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. has led to the development of water-soluble allopregnanolone derivatives acting as prodrugs and reported to be useful for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy, traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress, seasonal mood disorder, essential tremor, dysthymia and postpartum depression, among others.

Promis Neurosciences Inc. has submitted an IND application to the FDA for PMN-310 for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. PMN-310 is a monoclonal antibody designed to be highly selective for toxic oligomers of amyloid-β (Aβ) that are believed to be a major driver of AD, as opposed to monomers or plaque.