If Eli Lilly and Co. had been hoping its migraine drug, Emgality (galcanezumab), would emerge with unequivocal superiority against Pfizer Inc.’s Nurtec ODT (rimegepant orally disintegrating tablet), giving the once-monthly injectable biologic an advantage in the highly competitive CGRP space, the pharma firm likely was disappointed. Findings from the phase IV Challenge-MIG study did not meet the primary endpoint, which called for Emgality’s statistical superiority over Nurtec ODT on the percentage of patients achieving a 50% or greater reduction in monthly migraine days.
Pfizer Inc. is taking over Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Co. Ltd. for $11.6 billion to bring aboard Nurtec ODT (rimegepant), the calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptor antagonist first approved in February 2020 for acute migraine in adults with or without aura.
Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Co. Ltd. signed a deal that could be worth more than $1 billion to take over Channel Biosciences LLC, a subsidiary of Knopp Biosciences LLC, and its Kv7 channel targeting platform. A key part of the deal is BHV-7000, formerly known as KB-3061, described as a potent activator of Kv7.2 and Kv7.3, key subunits involved in neuronal signaling and in regulating the hyperexcitable state in epilepsy. The compound is expected to enter clinical investigation this year, with focal epilepsy as the lead indication.
While Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Co. Ltd.’s phase II/III proof-of-concept study of troriluzole for treating obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) failed to meet its primary outcome measure at week 12, the company found enough silver in the study’s lining to press on for a larger phase III trial.
With an increasingly aging global population, neurological disorders have become a major cause of death and disability worldwide. Despite the significant investments that continue to be made in research and development in the neurological field, the discovery of new drugs targeting many CNS disorders, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, has proved to be difficult.