TRPC4/5 Inhibitor Now Investigated in Clinic for CNS Disorders

Hydra Biosciences, a global leader in Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) channel modulation announced today that Boehringer Ingelheim has initiated a Phase 1 clinical trial in healthy volunteers to evaluate a TRPC4/5 inhibitor compound for the treatment of central nervous system (CNS) diseases and disorders including depression and anxiety. This trial is part of an existing collaboration between Hydra and Boehringer Ingelheim.

Depression and anxiety disorders affect millions of people worldwide, 300 million and 264 million respectively, with 50-60% either not responding to existing treatments or discontinuing treatments due to adverse events. These statistics emphasize the need for new and innovative treatments offering improved efficacy with reduced side effects. Novel TRP ion channel modulators have the potential to meet both of these demands.

“We are extremely pleased that Boehringer Ingelheim will investigate this candidate in a clinical trial and we look forward to exploring its potential role in treating life altering CNS diseases,” said Russell Herndon, President and CEO of Hydra. “Boehringer Ingelheim’s depth of experience in the field and strong track record in both drug development and commercialization makes it an ideal partner for this research program.”

“We look forward to researching this TRPC4/5 lead candidate as a potential treatment and therapeutic improvement for people suffering from CNS disorders, such as anxiety and depression,” added Dr. Jan Poth, Therapeutic Area Head CNS / Immunology at Boehringer Ingelheim.

Researching and developing medicines for mental illness is challenging due to the complexity of the target organ, the brain, and has a high risk of failure, which may help to explain lack of progress in the last decade with pharmacological treatment options. With its collaborative philosophy, Boehringer Ingelheim remains committed to R&D in this area for the long term focusing on understanding key symptoms present in different types of mental illness.

This program represents one of two ongoing collaborations between Hydra and Boehringer Ingelheim. The other is a worldwide research collaboration and license agreement to identify small-molecule TRP inhibitors with a primary focus on the treatment of renal diseases and disorders. Under the terms of both collaboration agreements, the companies will work together to identify and advance candidate inhibitors. Boehringer Ingelheim is responsible for the global development and commercialization of the inhibitors emerging from the collaborations. Hydra received an upfront payment, additional research funding, and is eligible to receive milestone payments and tiered royalty payments on future product sales.