Otsuka acquiring ADHD company Neurovance

Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan) will acquire ADHD play Neurovance Inc. (Cambridge, Mass.) for $100 million up front and up to $150 million in milestones. The deal gives Otsuka rights to centanafadine (CFR; EB-1020), which has completed a Phase IIb study to treat ADHD. The pharma intends to begin a Phase III trial by early next year.

Neurovance said in July that 400 mg doses of a sustained-release formulation of centanafadine met the Phase IIb study's primary endpoint by significantly reducing ADHD Rating Scale IV score vs. placebo (-15.1 vs. -8.1 points, p<0.001) in adults. Centanafadine is an abuse-deterrent serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine reuptake inhibitor that preferentially targets norepinephrine and dopamine (see BioCentury, Feb. 2, 2015)...