Evecxia Therapeutics and Quotient Sciences Complete Phase I Clinical Milestone

The drug development partnership between Evecxia Therapeutics and Quotient Sciences has seen the success of a Phase I clinical testing program for Evecxia’s drug candidate EVX-101, which is in development to treat major depressive disorder (MDD).

According to the release, Evecxia is the first company dedicated to realizing the therapeutic potential of amplifying serotonin synthesis to treat brain disorders such as MDD. The company is currently developing EVX-101 as an adjunctive treatment for MDD due to patients experiencing an inadequate response to first-line antidepressants such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors SNRIs.

EVX-101 is a novel, proprietary, sustained-release tablet formulation of 5-hydroxtryptophan, or 5-HTP, the natural precursor to serotonin, and low-dose carbidopa. Further, 5-HTP is the active compound and carbidopa functions as an absorption enhancer for 5-HTP.

The new EVX-101 drug candidate into a Phase II adjunctive treatment study in patients with MDD who are responding inadequately to a first-line SSRI/SNRI antidepressant.

“Quotient Sciences’ expertise in developing and optimizing modified-release formulations coupled with their ability to integrate rapid clinical assessments allowed us to produce a new drug candidate, EVX-101, in a highly condensed time frame,” said Jacob Jacobsen, PhD, CEO of Evecxia, in a press release. “We are very pleased with the outcome of this partnership and appreciate the collaboration between both organizations to aid in the advancement of EVX-101 towards helping patients who are suffering from the life-limiting effects of MDD.”

Mark Egerton, PhD, CEO of Quotient Sciences, added how the partnership with Evecxia has greatly accelerated the development timeline of their EVX-101 program. “Improving mental health is a global goal and the industry must work hard to get treatments to patients more quickly,” he said in a press release. “We are proud that this collaboration and our expertise has enabled Evecxia to successfully progress EVX-101 onward into Phase II studies to provide patients who are suffering from MDD with new treatment options.”

Source: Quotient Sciences