NEW HAVEN, Conn., Nov. 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Biohaven
Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd. (NYSE: BHVN), a
commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company with a portfolio of
innovative, best-in-class therapies to improve the lives of
patients with debilitating neurological and neuropsychiatric
diseases including spinocerebellar ataxia, today announced its
partnership with the National Ataxia Foundation (NAF) to help the
nonprofit organization launch the NAF Drug Development
Collaborative. As the first pharmaceutical industry member to
commit support, Biohaven's partnership will help NAF accelerate the
development of new treatments for Ataxia.
Melissa Wolfe Beiner, M.D.,
Director of Research and Development and Clinical Lead for the
Ataxia program at Biohaven, commented, "Biohaven is extremely
pleased to be the first industry partner to join this important
consortium. We are deeply committed to the Ataxia community, as
demonstrated by our longstanding partnership with NAF and leading
neurologists in the ataxia field from around the world. Together
with NAF and our industry peers, we will foster a collaborative
environment in which scientists, physicians, and patient advocates
can come together to advance novel treatments for people suffering
from these debilitating neurodegenerative disorders."
With its launch officially announced on November 5, the NAF Drug Development
Collaborative will assemble members of the pharmaceutical industry
around the common goal of accelerating the development of new
treatments for Ataxia, a group of progressive neurodegenerative
diseases for which no specific treatment or cure is
available. The industry consortium will apply its collective
expertise to harness shared opportunities and tackle challenges of
drug development through initiatives such as natural history and
biosample data collection, development of biomarkers, validation of
disease rating scales, refinement of clinical trial design,
exploration of patient-reported outcomes and other data critical to
the development and approval of safe and effective therapies.
Andrew Rosen, NAF Executive
Director, stated, "Biohaven has been a true partner to NAF
throughout their therapy development process. They have been
so willing to share insights with us, and in turn, we have done
everything we can to provide communications channels to our members
and help recruit patients for their clinical trials. As the
first member of the NAF Drug Development Collaborative, Biohaven
has once again shown their leadership in the Ataxia space."
Biohaven is currently enrolling participants in a Phase 3
clinical trial assessing the efficacy and safety of troriluzole in
Spinocerebellar Ataxia at 21 sites across the United States.
More information about Biohaven's clinical trial in SCA patients
can be found at www.clinicaltrials.gov [NCT03701399] and at
https://www.scatrial.org/.
About Spinocerebellar Ataxia (SCA)
Hereditary Spinocerebellar Ataxias are potentially fatal, rare and
severely debilitating neurodegenerative disorders affecting the
cerebellum. They are characterized clinically by progressive ataxia
symptoms, including difficulties with balance, speech, and
coordination, and are attributed to various autosomal dominant
genetic mutations. There are currently no FDA-approved treatments
and no cure for SCA.
About Troriluzole
Troriluzole is a new chemical entity that modulates glutamate, the
most abundant excitatory neurotransmitter in the human body.
Troriluzole is thought to normalize synaptic glutamate levels,
which are deregulated in a range of neurological and
neuropsychiatric diseases. Troriluzole is believed to increase
cycling of glutamate by increasing expression and function of
excitatory amino acid transporters (i.e., EAAT2) located on glial
cells and 2) decreasing presynaptic glutamate release. More
information about troriluzole can be found at the Biohaven's
website www.biohavenpharma.com/science-pipeline/glutamate/troriluzole.
About Biohaven
Biohaven is a commercial-stage
biopharmaceutical company with a portfolio of innovative,
best-in-class therapies to improve the lives of patients with
debilitating neurological and neuropsychiatric diseases, including
rare disorders. Biohaven's neuroinnovation portfolio includes
FDA-approved NURTEC™ ODT (rimegepant) for the acute treatment of
migraine and a broad pipeline of late-stage product candidates
across three distinct mechanistic platforms: CGRP receptor
antagonism for the acute and preventive treatment of migraine;
glutamate modulation for spinocerebellar ataxia,
obsessive-compulsive disorder and Alzheimer's disease; and
myeloperoxidase (MPO) inhibition for multiple system atrophy and
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. More information about Biohaven is
available at www.biohavenpharma.com.
About the National Ataxia Foundation (NAF)
NAF is a nonprofit organization established in 1957 to help persons
with Ataxia and their families. The Foundation's primary purpose is
to support Ataxia research, provide vital programs and services for
Ataxia families, and help in the search for a cure. NAF is
the only organization in the United
States dedicated to the disease that serves all types of
Ataxia. NAF works closely with the world's leading Ataxia
researchers, promoting exchanges of ideas and innovation in Ataxia
discovery.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release includes forward-looking statements within the
meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
The use of certain words, including "believe", "continue", "may",
"will" and similar expressions, are intended to identify
forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements
involve substantial risks and uncertainties, including statements
that are based on the current expectations and assumptions of
Biohaven's management about troriluzole as a possible treatment for
Spinocerebellar Ataxia, statements about expected study enrollments
and completions, and expected future regulatory filings and
approvals. Factors that could affect these forward-looking
statements include those related to: Biohaven's ability to
effectively develop troriluzole, complying with applicable U.S.
regulatory requirements, the expected timing, commencement and
outcomes of Biohaven's planned and ongoing clinical trials, the
timing of planned interactions and filings with the FDA, the timing
and outcome of expected regulatory filings, the potential
commercialization of Biohaven's product candidates, the potential
for Biohaven's product candidates to be first in class or best in
class therapies and the effectiveness and safety of Biohaven's
product candidates. Various important factors could cause actual
results or events to differ materially from those that may be
expressed or implied by our forward-looking statements. Additional
important factors to be considered in connection with
forward-looking statements are described in the "Risk Factors"
section of Biohaven's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2019, filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission on February 26, 2020, and Biohaven's Quarterly
Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2020, filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission on November 9,
2020. The forward-looking statements are made as of this
date and Biohaven does not undertake any obligation to update any
forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
Biohaven Contact
Dr. Vlad Coric
Chief Executive Officer
Vlad.Coric@biohavenpharma.com
NURTEC is a trademark of Biohaven Pharmaceutical Ireland
DAC.
View original content to download
multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/biohaven-pharmaceuticals-inaugural-partner-of-national-ataxia-foundations-drug-development-collaborative-301171275.html
SOURCE Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company Ltd.