Hold onto your neurons, folks! The brain game just got a whole lot more interesting. Imagine a world where 3.4 billion brains are all crying out for help—well, that’s our world. But fear not, because big pharma is on the case!
Between December 2023 and June 2024, pharmaceutical companies decided to go all Sherlock Holmes on neurological conditions. AbbVie kicked things off by splashing $8.7 billion to buy Cerevel Therapeutics, ensuring their neuroscience pipeline got a serious upgrade. Not stopping there, they also teamed up with Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals (no relation to the ancient king) to work on futuristic psychiatric treatments.
Meanwhile, Bristol Myers Squibb was not about to be outdone. They snapped up Karuna Therapeutics, getting their hands on KarXT, a promising treatment for schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s-related psychosis. Because who doesn’t want to corner the market on both memory loss and hallucinations?
The peak of the brainy bonanza came on May 13, 2024, when AbbVie and Gilgamesh threw $2 billion into the pot to create cutting-edge psychiatric therapies. Gilgamesh, the biotech wizard with an AI-powered platform, is crafting precision psychiatric treatments that hit mental disorders right where it hurts—the root causes. They’ve got some heavy hitters in development, including an NMDAR antagonist and a 5-HT2A receptor agonist, both in phase 2 trials for major depressive disorder.
AbbVie will lead the charge on developing next-gen neuroplastogens, giving Gilgamesh $65 million upfront, plus nearly $2 billion in potential milestones and some sweet royalties on net sales.
So, pop your popcorn and stay tuned, because the
Reference: https://www.nature.com/articles/d43747-024-00091-x
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