Bain Capital Life Science led a $250 million series D funding round for biotechnology company Emalex Biosciences.
Emalex will use the capital to fund a clinical trial and the potential commercialization of ecopipam, a drug used to treat Tourette syndrome. The phase 3 trial will enroll 220 patients across 90 sites, making it the largest trial ever conducted in America for Tourette syndrome.
The syndrome is associated with increased mortality and can substantially affect social function. The drug's phase 2 trial showed positive results in reducing motor and vocal tics compared to a placebo.
"It's important to note that a large number of patients with Tourette syndrome have co-morbidities like ADHD or OCD. During the phase 2b study they were allowed to continue their medications for those conditions, and their Tourette symptoms measurably improved with ecopipam," Donald Gilbert, MD, a movement disorders specialist at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, said in the news release.