Acadia Pharmaceuticals on Aug. 24 acquired Fort Worth, Texas-based biotech CerSci Therapeutics for $52.5 million, a move that broadens the San Diego-based drugmaker's pain medication portfolio.
The deal gives Acadia rights to CerSci's portfolio of drug compounds for neurological conditions, which consists of non-opioid treatments for acute and chronic pain.
The top development program focuses on interrupting neural pathways that sensitize pain. The portfolio's leading molecule demonstrated the potential to tolerably treat inflammatory, incisional and neuropathic pain during phase 1 testing. Acadia plans to launch the study's second phase during the first half of 2021.
"There is an urgent need for new approaches to treat pain without causing addiction," Acadia CEO Steve Davis said in an Aug. 25 news release. "We are excited by the potential clinical utility of this program across multiple pain modalities due to its novel non-opioid mechanism of action. By acquiring CerSci, Acadia is further strengthening our development pipeline for long-term growth in central nervous system disorders."