Cerevel Therapeutics

Last updated
Cerevel Therapeutics Holdings, Inc.
Company type Public
Nasdaq:  CERE
Russell 2000 Component
Industry Biopharmaceuticals
Founded2018;6 years ago (2018)
FateAcquired by AbbVie (Pending)
Headquarters,
United States
Website cerevel.com

Cerevel Therapeutics Holdings, Inc. is a biotechnology and pharmaceuticals company focused on the development of novel therapies for mental and neurological illnesses. [1] Cerevel was established in October 2018, and is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts. [2]

Contents

The company was formed in a collaboration between pharmaceuticals company Pfizer and private equity firm Bain Capital. [3] [4]

In December 2023, AbbVie, an American pharmaceutical company, announced its intention to acquire Cerevel for US$8.7 billion. [5] [6] [7]

Pipeline

Cerevel uses novel approaches and technologies to develop its own drugs and treatment therapies. Its pipeline contains an array of drugs and therapies treating a range of conditions including Schizophrenia, Parkinson's, Epilepsy, mood disorders, and more. [8]

Notable Cerevel drugs and treatments at varying stages of development include:

Approach to Treatment

Cerevel's tagline mission statement is to "unravel the mysteries of the brain" to treat neurological disease. [14] Scientifically, its approach to therapy development focuses on understanding the wiring of the brain, pursuing novel targets, and addressing specific receptor sub-types. [1]

The company has stated its approach to neurotherapy development can be viewed through three key lenses:

Related Research Articles

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Neurosteroids, also known as neuroactive steroids, are endogenous or exogenous steroids that rapidly alter neuronal excitability through interaction with ligand-gated ion channels and other cell surface receptors. The term neurosteroid was coined by the French physiologist Étienne-Émile Baulieu and refers to steroids synthesized in the brain. The term, neuroactive steroid refers to steroids that can be synthesized in the brain, or are synthesized by an endocrine gland, that then reach the brain through the bloodstream and have effects on brain function. The term neuroactive steroids was first coined in 1992 by Steven Paul and Robert Purdy. In addition to their actions on neuronal membrane receptors, some of these steroids may also exert effects on gene expression via nuclear steroid hormone receptors. Neurosteroids have a wide range of potential clinical applications from sedation to treatment of epilepsy and traumatic brain injury. Ganaxolone, a synthetic analog of the endogenous neurosteroid allopregnanolone, is under investigation for the treatment of epilepsy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pramipexole</span> Dopamine agonist medication

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dopamine agonist</span> Compound that activates dopamine receptors

A dopamine agonist(DA) is a compound that activates dopamine receptors. There are two families of dopamine receptors, D1-like and D2-like. They are all G protein-coupled receptors. D1- and D5-receptors belong to the D1-like family and the D2-like family includes D2, D3 and D4 receptors. Dopamine agonists are primarily used in the treatment of Parkinson's disease, and to a lesser extent, in hyperprolactinemia and restless legs syndrome. They are also used off-label in the treatment of clinical depression. The use of dopamine agonists is associated with impulse control disorders and dopamine agonist withdrawal syndrome (DAWS).

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pimavanserin</span> Atypical antipsychotic medication

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Befiradol</span> Chemical compound

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Traxoprodil</span> Chemical compound

Traxoprodil is a drug developed by Pfizer which acts as an NMDA antagonist, selective for the NR2B subunit. It has neuroprotective, analgesic, and anti-Parkinsonian effects in animal studies. Traxoprodil has been researched in humans as a potential treatment to lessen the damage to the brain after stroke, but results from clinical trials showed only modest benefit. The drug was found to cause EKG abnormalities and its clinical development was stopped. More recent animal studies have suggested traxoprodil may exhibit rapid-acting antidepressant effects similar to those of ketamine, although there is some evidence for similar psychoactive side effects and abuse potential at higher doses, which might limit clinical acceptance of traxoprodil for this application.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willardiine</span> Chemical compound

Willardiine (correctly spelled with two successive i's) or (S)-1-(2-amino-2-carboxyethyl)pyrimidine-2,4-dione is a chemical compound that occurs naturally in the seeds of Mariosousa willardiana and Acacia sensu lato. The seedlings of these plants contain enzymes capable of complex chemical substitutions that result in the formation of free amino acids (See:#Synthesis). Willardiine is frequently studied for its function in higher level plants. Additionally, many derivates of willardiine are researched for their potential in pharmaceutical development. Willardiine was first discovered in 1959 by R. Gmelin, when he isolated several free, non-protein amino acids from Acacia willardiana (another name for Mariosousa willardiana) when he was studying how these families of plants synthesize uracilyalanines. A related compound, Isowillardiine, was concurrently isolated by a different group, and it was discovered that the two compounds had different structural and functional properties. Subsequent research on willardiine has focused on the functional significance of different substitutions at the nitrogen group and the development of analogs of willardiine with different pharmacokinetic properties. In general, Willardiine is the one of the first compounds studied in which slight changes to molecular structure result in compounds with significantly different pharmacokinetic properties.

CDKL5 deficiency disorder (CDD) is a rare genetic disorder caused by pathogenic variants in the gene CDKL5.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tavapadon</span> Chemical compound

Tavapadon (developmental code names CVL-751, PF-06649751) is a dopamine receptor agonist for the treatment of Parkinson's disease., under development by Cerevel Therapeutics who acquired Tavapadon from Pfizer in 2018. It acts as a selective partial agonist of the dopamine D1 (Ki = 8.54 nM) and D5 receptors. It also shows biased agonism for Gs-coupled signaling. As of July 2021, tavapadon is in phase 3 clinical trials for Parkinson's disease.

Convection-enhanced delivery (CED) is method of drug delivery in which drug is delivered into using bulk flow rather than conventional diffusion into the brain. This is done by utilizing catheters inserted into the target region of the brain and utilizing pressure to deliver the therapeutic to a target region. CED has been used to delivery drugs to the central nervous system (CNS) for diseases such as cancer, epilepsy, and Parkinson's disease. CED has been used to deliver drugs to the CNS for its ability to bypass the blood–brain barrier (BBB) and target specific regions for targeted treatment, but current techniques using CED have failed to progress past clinical trials due to a variety of physical limitations associated with CED itself.

CVL-871 is a dopamine receptor agonist which is under development for the treatment of dementia-related apathy. It was originated by Pfizer and is under development by Cerevel Therapeutics. CVL-871 acts as a selective partial agonist of the dopamine D1 and D5 receptors. It is taken via oral administration. As of April 2022, CVL-871 is in phase 2 clinical trials for dementia-related apathy.

CVL-354 is an opioid antagonist which is under development for the treatment of major depressive disorder and substance-related disorders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darigabat</span> Chemical compound

Darigabat is a GABAergic medication which is under development for the treatment of photosensitive epilepsy, focal onset seizures, panic disorder, and other anxiety disorders. It was also under development for the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder and chronic lower back pain, but development for these indications was discontinued. It is taken via oral administration.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emraclidine</span> Chemical compound

Emraclidine is an investigational antipsychotic for the treatment of both schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease psychosis developed by Cerevel Therapeutics. As of February 2023, it is in phase II of clinical trial. Emraclidine is a positive allosteric modulator that selectively targets the muscarinic acetylcholine receptor M4 subtype. The M4 receptor subtype is expressed in the striatum of the brain, which plays a key role in regulating acetylcholine and dopamine levels. An imbalance of these neurotransmitters has been linked to psychotic symptoms in schizophrenia. Unlike other muscarinic receptors, M4 receptor subtypes are selectively expressed in the striatum and activation of these receptors has been shown to indirectly regulate dopamine levels without blocking D2/D3 receptors, which may lead to unwanted motor side effects seen in current antipsychotics.

References

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  2. Logan, Tim (August 7, 2019). "Pfizer spinoff Cerevel moving into Cambridge Crossing". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  3. "Bain Capital And Pfizer Create New CNS Company Cerevel Therapeutics". markets.businessinsider.com. 2024-01-12. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  4. Brodwin, Erin. "Drug giant Pfizer isn't ready to abandon neuroscience — here's its $150-million 'star cluster' strategy for betting on promising brain drug startups". Business Insider. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  5. Constantino, Annika Kim (2023-12-06). "AbbVie to acquire neuroscience drugmaker Cerevel Therapeutics for $8.7 billion". CNBC. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  6. Armstrong, Annalee (December 6, 2023). "AbbVie adds to neuroscience portfolio with $8.7B deal to acquire Cerevel". Fierce Biotech. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
  7. "AbbVie to Acquire Cerevel Therapeutics in Transformative Transaction to Strengthen Neuroscience Pipeline". AbbVie News Center. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  8. "EMPOWERing the Next Generation". Psychiatric Times. 2023-09-13. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  9. "Cerevel Therapeutics Initiates Phase 3 Program of Tavapadon for the Treatment of Parkinson's Disease – Cerevel Therapeutics". www.cerevel.com. 2020-01-14. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  10. "Emraclidine – Cerevel Therapeutics". www.cerevel.com. 2020-01-04. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  11. "Cerevel Therapeutics Announces Publication of Phase 2a Study Results in Neurology on Its Most Advanced Investigational Epilepsy Treatment – Cerevel Therapeutics". www.cerevel.com. 2019-04-09. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  12. "CVL-871 – Cerevel Therapeutics". www.cerevel.com. 2020-01-02. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  13. "CVL-354, a novel, brain penetrant and selective kappa opioid receptor antagonist – Cerevel Therapeutics". www.cerevel.com. 2022-12-01. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  14. "EX-99". www.sec.gov. Retrieved 2024-01-13.