An update from Xenon Pharmaceuticals: they recently gave their Q2 corporate presentation, there's a transcript available (see end of my post). Some interesting excerpts I have highlighted here - in the Q&A session they discussed the use of XEN-1101 in treating other neurological conditions. Tinnitus and hearing disorders are mentioned!
"We're exploring indications outside of the focal epilepsy indication, which remains our primary indication for this drug, but there's a tremendous amount of literature that's building in the role of the KB72 and/or 3 channel in neuronal hyperexcitability that underlies a number of interesting neurological disorders where hyperexcitability appears to perhaps drive, for example, apoptosis in motor neuron disease in hyperexcitability through this channel, mediating Pain signaling. Hyperexcitability through this channel thought to have potentially a role in anhedonia and major depressive disorder.
And we know these channels are also expressed in the ear and the hair cells, in particular, and the potential for treatment using a Kv7.2 modulator for tinnitus is also of interest."
"So we're looking at a number of these types of disorders. We've been talking about this for some time. It's been an extremely active -- activity at the Company, and
we expect pretty soon, I think, to be able to communicate what that plan is. It doesn't detract from the focus being in focal epilepsy, that's the primary opportunity. It remains so. The trial continues to progress well as was updated, tolerability seems very good. We get a high rollover rate, a low drop out rate. So of course, everything is blinded, but data seems consistent with hypothesis going in, the preclinical data, the TMS data, very supportive of epilepsy as an important indication. And of course, there's precedent with ezogabine being the first generation drug working very well in focal epilepsy. So no, the strategy hasn't changed, but we do see some very exciting opportunities outside of focal epilepsy, including, by the way, within epilepsy, but outside of epilepsy, how that may impact long-term from a commercial standpoint, obviously, that's something we would discussed publicly at the right time. But we certainly don't see any shift in our plan today in developing the drugs for focal epilepsy primarily clearly furthest ahead in that indication as well."
https://www.fool.com/earnings/call-...maceuticals-inc-xene-q2-2020-earnings-ca.aspx
XEN-1101 is currently in Phase 2b with results expected in the second half of 2021.
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