NeuroSearch A/S is a Danish biotechnology company specializing in pharmaceuticals for treating diseases and disorders affecting the

central nervous system The central nervous system (CNS) is the part of the nervous system consisting primarily of the brain and spinal cord. The CNS is so named because the brain integrates the received information and coordinates and influences the activity of all par ...

(CNS).

History

NeuroSearch was founded in Denmark in April 1989 as one of the first companies in the

Medicon Valley Medicon Valley is a leading international life-sciences cluster in Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. E ...

area around Copenhagen and Malmö, with 25 employees and €4,000,000 in private financing. Its Danish founders included

femoxetine Femoxetine (INN; tentative brand name Malexil; developmental code name FG-4963) is a drug related to paroxetine that was being developed as an antidepressant by Danish pharmaceutical company Ferrosan in 1975 before acquisition of the company by ...

and

paroxetine Paroxetine, sold under the brand names Paxil and Seroxat among others, is an antidepressant of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) class. It is used to treat major depressive disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic disorder ...

inventor Jørgen Buus Lassen and Asger Aamund ( da). In 1996, NeuroSearch was listed on

NASDAQ OMX Nasdaq, Inc. is an American multinational financial services corporation that owns and operates three stock exchanges in the United States: the namesake Nasdaq stock exchange, the Philadelphia Stock Exchange, and the Boston Stock Exchange, and ...

Copenhagen A/S under the ticker symbol NEUR.CO. In 2006, three drug candidates from a novel class of compounds the company refers to as dopaminergic stabilizers were added to the development pipeline through the acquisition of Carlsson Research AB, a privately owned Swedish company. In 2010, NeuroSearch reported the results of MermaiHD (Multinational EuRopean Multicentre ACR16 study In Huntington’s Disease), the first study in the Huntexil

phase 3 Phase 3, Phase III or Phase Three may refer to: Media * Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase Three, eleven American superhero films from 2016–2019 * '' Phase 3: Thrones and Dominions'', a 1995 album by Earth * ''Phase III'' (album), a 1972 album ...

programme. This study, examined the effects of Huntexil in almost 440 patients with Huntington’s disease, but despite some suggestion of improved motor function the drug did not produce improvement on the study's primary endpoint. The US

Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is respon ...

and

European Medicines Agency The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is an agency of the European Union (EU) in charge of the evaluation and supervision of medicinal products. Prior to 2004, it was known as the European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products or Euro ...

have instructed NeuroSearch that a successful phase 3 trial that meets its primary motor endpoint will be needed if the drug is to be approved for patient use. In 2008, results demonstrating significant weight loss for

tesofensine Tesofensine (NS2330) is a serotonin–noradrenaline–dopamine reuptake inhibitor from the phenyltropane family of drugs, which is being developed for the treatment of obesity. Tesofensine was originally developed by a Danish biotechnology compa ...

compared with

placebo A placebo ( ) is a substance or treatment which is designed to have no therapeutic value. Common placebos include inert tablets (like sugar pills), inert injections (like Saline (medicine), saline), sham surgery, and other procedures. In general ...

were published in ''

The Lancet ''The Lancet'' is a weekly peer-reviewed general medical journal and one of the oldest of its kind. It is also the world's highest-impact academic journal. It was founded in England in 1823. The journal publishes original research articles, ...

''. The investigators concluded that tesofensine could produce at least twice the weight loss of currently approved anti-obesity drugs and should be evaluated in phase 3 trials. In 2012, the company was no longer able to attract funding for continuing its R&D activities. The company sold its rights to its lead product candidate,

Pridopidine Pridopidine (also known as PL-101) is an orally administrated small molecule investigational drug. Pridopidine is a selective and potent Sigma-1 Receptor agonist. It is being developed by Prilenia Therapeutics and is currently in late-stage clinical ...

for the treatment of patients with Huntington's disease to

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (also known as Teva Pharmaceuticals) is an Israeli multinational pharmaceutical company with headquarters in Tel Aviv, Israel. It specializes primarily in generic drugs, but other business interests include ...

. The clinical development of the remaining pipeline projects was stopped and the company is still trying to sell the remaining assets. In 2014, NeuroSearch transferred the rights to tesofensine to Saniona.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Biotechnology companies of Denmark Life science companies based in Copenhagen Companies established in 1989