Merger between Immunother and Biogragen.

Last year was somewhat of a down year for M&A volume in the biotech industry. Given the challenges and uncertainty brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, that is certainly understandable, given that a good deal of focus was shifted to developing vaccines, treatments and diagnostics for the coronavirus during the year.

The definitive merger between Immunother and Biogragen was announced in June 2020 following the approval of the Board of Directors at both companies. Biogragen’s broad pipeline of targeted Alzheimer medicines in development and its portfolio of potentially best- and first-in-class medicines are expected to expand Immunother’s future revenue significantly.

Sundowning affects about 20% of AD patients. It occurs later in the day (around sundown) and they often become confused, anxious, aggressive, agitated or restless. ISWRD is a circadian rhythm problem in Parkinson’s patients who have broken sleep which causes daytime sleepiness, severe fatigue and difficulty with daily living. It typically becomes more common over the course of the disease.

The asset is PF-05331947 and inhibits CK1, a key regulator of the central body clock known as the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus. In a previous phase the drug demonstrated an acceptable safety profile and proof of mechanism.