BioXcel Therapeutics, Inc. (“BTI” or the “Company”) (Nasdaq: BTAI),
a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company utilizing artificial
intelligence to identify improved therapies in neuroscience and
immuno-oncology, today announced that it will be collaborating with
the VA Connecticut Healthcare System and the Yale University
Medical School on a grant awarded from the U.S. Department of
Defense’s (“DOD”) Congressionally Directed Medical Research
Programs (“CDMRP”) to evaluate BXCL501 in patients suffering from
post-traumatic stress disorder (“PTSD”) related to alcohol and
substance abuse disorder (“ASUD”). BXCL501 is the Company’s
proprietary, orally dissolving thin film formulation of
dexmedetomidine (“Dex”) in late stage development for the treatment
of agitation and opioid withdrawal symptoms.
The funding will be used for studies of patients
diagnosed with PTSD related to ASUD and will be the first time the
Company is investigating BXCL501 as a potential chronic treatment.
Following an initial safety assessment that is being funded by the
U.S. Department of Defense, a follow-on assessment study is
anticipated that will include an evaluation of patients
self-administering BXCL501 daily at-home over a 28 day period.
Principal investigators will be Ismene Petrakis, M.D., Chief of
Psychiatry Services at VA Connecticut Healthcare System and
Professor of Psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine, as
well as John Krystal, M.D., Director of the Clinical Neuroscience
Division of the National Center for PTSD of the Department of
Veterans Affairs and the Robert L. McNeil, Jr. Professor of
Translational Research, Chair of the Yale Department of
Psychiatry.
“We’re pleased that the DOD has recognized the
potential of BXCL501 to improve care for men and women suffering
from PTSD related to alcohol and substance abuse,” commented Frank
Yocca, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of BTI. “For the first time,
we will be exploring BXCL501 as a daily treatment to address a
chronic disorder. We believe that this product candidate, when used
chronically, has the potential to reduce and alleviate the frequent
hyperarousal symptoms that individuals with PTSD can experience on
a daily basis. The U.S. federal government’s support of these
studies will help us achieve our goal of advancing the evaluation
of BXCL501 in more patient populations where there is significant
need for better treatments.”
Dr. Kerry Ressler M.D.,
Ph.D., Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, and a
leader in PTSD research, commented, “In anxiety-related disorders,
such as PTSD, norepinephrine is a major driver of the
stress-related agitation and nightmares that can
result due to hyperarousal of the sympathetic nervous
system. Dex is a full agonist with higher CNS
penetration and higher intrinsic activity at the receptor compared
to the other alpha-2 receptor agonists, including clonidine and
guanfacine, that are only partial agonists.
BXCL501 could be a valuable therapeutic option to reduce
the hypersympathetic response in patients with PTSD and has the
potential, upon further study and approval, of becoming a
first line chronic treatment for PTSD patients.”
The views expressed in this news release are
those of the author and may not reflect the official policy or
position of the Department of the Army, Department of Defense, or
the U.S. Government.
About BXCL501:
BXCL501 is an investigational, proprietary,
orally dissolving thin film formulation of dexmedetomidine, a
selective alpha-2a receptor agonist for the treatment of agitation
and opioid withdrawal symptoms. BTI believes that BXCL501 directly
targets a causal agitation mechanism, and the Company has observed
anti-agitation effects in multiple clinical studies across several
neuropsychiatric disorders. BXCL501 has been granted Fast Track
Designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the acute
treatment of agitation in patients with schizophrenia, bipolar
disorders and dementia. BXCL501 has been studied in two Phase 3
trials (SERENITY I and II) for the acute treatment of agitation
associated with schizophrenia and bipolar disorders. Also, the
product is being evaluated in a Phase 1b/2 trial (TRANQUILITY) for
the acute treatment of agitation associated with dementia, and in a
Phase 1b/2 study (RELEASE) for the treatment of opioid withdrawal
symptoms. The Company also plans to initiate a Phase 2 trial in
hospitalized patients suffering from agitation associated with
delirium within the next several months.
About BioXcel Therapeutics,
Inc.:
BioXcel Therapeutics, Inc. is a clinical stage
biopharmaceutical company focused on drug development that utilizes
artificial intelligence to identify improved therapies in
neuroscience and immuno-oncology. BTI's drug re-innovation approach
leverages existing approved drugs and/or clinically validated
product candidates together with big data and proprietary machine
learning algorithms to identify new therapeutic indices. BTI's two
most advanced clinical development programs are BXCL501, an
investigational, proprietary, orally dissolving thin film
formulation of dexmedetomidine for the treatment of agitation and
opioid withdrawal symptoms, and BXCL701, an investigational, orally
administered, systemic innate immunity activator in development for
the treatment of aggressive forms of prostate cancer and advanced
solid tumors that are refractory or treatment naïve to checkpoint
inhibitors. For more information, please visit
www.bioxceltherapeutics.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes “forward-looking
statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements in this press
release include but are not limited to the timing and data from
clinical development initiatives and trials for BXCL501, including
studies involving patients suffering from PTSD related to ASUD.
When used herein, words including “anticipate,” “being,” “will,”
“plan,” “may,” “continue,” and similar expressions are intended to
identify forward-looking statements. In addition, any statements or
information that refer to expectations, beliefs, plans,
projections, objectives, performance or other characterizations of
future events or circumstances, including any underlying
assumptions, are forward-looking. All forward-looking statements
are based upon BTI's current expectations and various assumptions.
BTI believes there is a reasonable basis for its expectations and
beliefs, but they are inherently uncertain.
BTI may not realize its expectations, and its
beliefs may not prove correct. Actual results could differ
materially from those described or implied by such forward-looking
statements as a result of various important factors, including,
without limitation, its limited operating history; its incurrence
of significant losses; its need for substantial additional funding
and ability to raise capital when needed; its limited experience in
drug discovery and drug development; its dependence on the success
and commercialization of BXCL501 and BXCL701 and other product
candidates; the failure of preliminary data from its clinical
studies to predict final study results; failure of its early
clinical studies or preclinical studies to predict future clinical
studies; its ability to receive regulatory approval for its product
candidates; its ability to enroll patients in its clinical trials;
undesirable side effects caused by BTI’s product candidates; its
approach to the discovery and development of product candidates
based on EvolverAI is novel and unproven; its exposure to patent
infringement lawsuits; its ability to comply with the extensive
regulations applicable to it; impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic;
its ability to commercialize its product candidates; and the other
important factors discussed under the caption “Risk Factors” in its
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended
September 30, 2020, as such factors may be updated from time to
time in its other filings with the SEC, which are accessible on the
SEC’s website at www.sec.gov and the Investors section of our
website at www.bioxceltherapeutics.com.
These and other important factors could cause
actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the
forward-looking statements made in this press release. Any such
forward-looking statements represent management’s estimates as of
the date of this press release. While BTI may elect to update such
forward-looking statements at some point in the future, except as
required by law, it disclaims any obligation to do so, even if
subsequent events cause our views to change. These forward-looking
statements should not be relied upon as representing BTI’s views as
of any date subsequent to the date of this press release.
Contact Information:
BioXcel Therapeutics,
Inc.www.bioxceltherapeutics.com
Investor Relations:John
Grazianojgraziano@troutgroup.com 1.646.378.2942
Media:Julia Deutschjdeutsch@troutgroup.com
1.646.378.2967
Source: BioXcel Therapeutics, Inc.
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