Denovo Biopharma has licensed ORM-12741 from Orion Corporation. Denovo gains global rights to develop, manufacture and commercialize ORM-12741.
ORM-12741 is a selective, potent, first-in-class antagonist targeting the Alpha2C adrenoceptor (AR) that may be useful for neuropsyciatric indications such as Alzheimer's Disease, schizophrenia, and depression, among others. To date, more than 540 patients across 11 clinical studies have been dosed with ORM-12741, and the drug was found to be safe and well-tolerated; this clinical data comprises a rich data set for Denovo to conduct its biomarker discovery.
Subscribe to our e-Newsletters
Stay up to date with the latest news, articles, and events. Plus, get special offers
from American Pharmaceutical Review – all delivered right to your inbox! Sign up now!
"With this license of ORM-12741 (now known as DB105), Denovo has four late-stage compounds in oncology and neurology, and we plan on continuing to expand our portfolio in these two major therapeutic areas," said Michael Haller, Denovo's Chief Business Officer. "Using Denovo's unique biomarker approach, we have pushed our lead project DB102 into a pivotal phase 3 trial as first-line therapy for the treatment of DLBCL."
"While most Alzheimer's Disease programs target beta amyloid and tau, DB105 offers a distinct mechanism of action by targeting the alpha-2c adrenoceptor," said Wen Luo, CEO of Denovo. "Despite the failures of most Alzheimer's drug development programs across the pharmaceutical industry, we believe our biomarker platform and targeted personalized medicine approaches may provide a breakthrough to address this serious unmet medical need."