Allergan has decided to acquire biopharmaceutical firm Aptinyx’s drug candidate AGN-241751 and advance it as a treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD) patients.

AGN-241751 is an oral small-molecule modulator of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor discovered by Aptinyx using its chemistry platform.

Allergan gained option rights to certain small molecules from the Aptinyx discovery platform under a research alliance formed in 2015 when it acquired Aptinyx’s predecessor company Naurex.

The acquisition also provided Allergan with an intravenous NMDA receptor modulating tetrapeptide called rapastinel, which has subsequently secured the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) breakthrough therapy status and is being studied by the company in Phase III clinical trials for MDD.

The research collaboration between Allergan and Aptinyx aims to discover and characterise new small-molecule NMDA receptor modulators using the latter’s chemistry platform.

“Through our productive research collaboration with Aptinyx, we have gained important insights into NMDA receptor modulation as a potential therapeutic approach for depression.”

Under the terms of the collaboration, Allergan funds certain costs and gains the ability to buy a pre-specified number of candidates for development and commercialisation in select indications only.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

Allergan chief research and development officer C David Nicholson said: “Through our productive research collaboration with Aptinyx and parallel development of rapastinel, we have gained important insights into NMDA receptor modulation as a potential therapeutic approach for depression.

“We plan to advance AGN-241751 for the treatment of MDD and believe its pharmacological profile will enable it to become an oral complement to rapastinel, further bolstering our pipeline of therapeutics addressing areas of significant unmet medical need.”