Areteia advances repurposing strategy for ALS therapy into asthma setting: Clinical Report

During a week that was light on data-driven stock moves, a repurposing success story from Areteia became a highlight. The biotech’s dexpremipexole is a perfect example of a pharma’s failure in one indication translating to success in another.

Dexpramipexole, an enantiomer of pramipexole, was initially developed for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) through a partnership between Knopp Biosciences LLC and Biogen Inc. (NASDAQ:BIIB), but was discontinued more than a decade ago after a failed Phase III study. The biotech, in collaboration with investors, founded Areteia Therapeutics Inc. nine years later to repurpose the asset based on the unexpected finding of eosinophil reduction in the ALS patients...