Concert Pharmaceuticals Achieves $2-Million Milestone
Concert Pharmaceuticals, Inc. recently announced that it has achieved a $2- million milestone under its development and license agreement with Avanir Pharmaceuticals, Inc. for the clinical progression of AVP-786. The milestone is a result of Avanir initiating dosing in a Phase II clinical trial with AVP-786 for the adjunctive treatment of major depressive disorder.
“We are very pleased by Avanir’s progress with AVP-786’s clinical development, resulting in a second development milestone to Concert from this program,” said Roger Tung, PhD, President and CEO of Concert Pharmaceuticals.
The agreement provides Avanir with worldwide rights to develop and commercialize AVP-786 and other deuterium-modified dextromethorphan (d-DM) compounds. The licensed compounds are believed to have potential for the treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders. Under the agreement, Concert is eligible to receive additional milestone payments based upon achievement of certain predefined clinical, regulatory, and commercial targets. Avanir will continue to have overall responsibility for research, development, and commercialization of d-DM compounds, including AVP-786, and Concert is eligible to receive tiered royalties on worldwide sales of any products containing d-DM. The milestone announced here is the second development milestone Concert has earned under the agreement.
AVP-786 is a novel investigational drug product consisting of a combination of deuterium modified dextromethorphan and ultra-low dose quinidine. Incorporation of deuterium into specific positions of the dextromethorphan molecule strengthens the chemical bonds and reduces susceptibility to enzyme cleavage and first-pass metabolism, but without altering its pharmacology. By decreasing the metabolism rate, AVP-786 requires a substantially lower level of the metabolic inhibitor quinidine. This may result in a reduced potential for drug interactions, while maintaining its therapeutic efficacy. AVP-786 is an investigational drug not approved by the FDA.
Concert Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on applying its DCE Platform (deuterated chemical entity platform) to create novel small molecule drugs. This approach starts with approved drugs, advanced clinical candidates, or previously studied compounds that have the potential to be improved with deuterium substitution to enhance clinical safety, tolerability, and efficacy. The company is developing a broad pipeline targeting CNS disorders, renal disease, inflammation, and cancer. For more information, visit www.concertpharma.com.
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