2024 was another banner year for GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) on multiple fronts. They continued to expand into new indications, and provide their developers with both rich remuneration and scientific acclamation. There are now seven approved GLP-1RAs. Commercially, the most successful one so far is semaglutide, sold under the brand name Wegovy or Ozempic depending on the indication.
Pimavanserin is a 5-HT2A inverse agonist that is FDA approved for treating Parkinson’s disease psychosis. Acadia Pharmaceuticals Inc. searched for a compound that relies on pimavanserin but with an improved profile, including shorter half-life and reduced QT prolongation risk, which led to the identification of ACP-204.
In a deal worth $100 million up front and up to $1.25 billion in milestone payments, Bioarctic AB licensed its pyroglutamate-amyloid-β (pyroglutamate-Aβ) antibody program to Bristol Myers Squibb Co. to advance treatments for Alzheimer’s disease.
DM Intelligence Medicine Ltd. has disclosed leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2; dardarin), LRRK2 (G2019S mutant) and/or EGFR (HER1; erbB1 mutant) inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer, neurological and immunological disorders.
In the 1970s, scientists from several countries proposed to reconstruct, one by one, all the neurons in the brain as they appear under an electron microscope. They started with a small worm. Caenorhabditis elegans has only 302 neurons. It took 16 years. How much time would be required to repeat this arduous task for the 100 billion neurons in the human brain?
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Inc. has disclosed dual specificity tyrosine-phosphorylation-regulated kinase 1A (DYRK1A) inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of cancer, autoimmune disease and more.
Bioarctic AB has entered into a global exclusive license agreement with Bristol Myers Squibb Co. for Bioarctic’s pyroglutamate-amyloid-β (Aβ) antibody program.
The regular use of agonists of the μ-opioid receptor for acute pain relief usually leads to tolerance, respiratory depression, constipation and importantly, abuse potential.
In a recently published study, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and collaborators aimed to identify compounds with high affinity to α-synuclein aggregates and high selectivity toward pathological α-synuclein compared to other brain targets.
Chronic pain affects about 20% of the population worldwide. It is – inadequately – treated with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory compounds and opioids that lack efficacy and that are associated with serious side effects. The signaling axis composed of nerve growth factor (NGF) and the receptor tropomyosin-related kinase A (TrkA) is one of the few nonopioid targets that have been validated for treating chronic pain in patients.
RSS
