CNS Archives - Medical Design Sourcing

The CNS drug development drum beat is getting louder

[image courtesy of Pixabay]

The late 1980s and the 1990s were something of a gold rush for pharmaceutical companies focused on CNS drug development — especially those developing psychiatric drugs. In 1988, Eli Lilly introduced the blockbuster SSRI Prozac (fluoxetine), then a new type of antidepressant. Big Pharma companies launched several SSRIs in the years that followed.

By the end of the 2000s, the rate of development of antidepressants and psychiatric medicines, more broadly, had crawled to a near standstill as Big Pharma companies slashed R&D budgets for CNS drugs and chose to exit the mental health space. “They were facing patent cliffs and had to make some critical decisions,” said Emer Leahy, said CEO of PsychoGenics.

The tide is now turning. A growing number of well-funded smaller companies with venture backing are emerging in a quest to develop novel psychiatric drugs. “T…

CenExel Clinical Research Acquires Apex Innovative Sciences

Clinical research firm CenExel has announced that it will acquire Apex Innovative Sciences, which is the parent of Collaborative Neuroscience Research (CNS) and Hassman Research Institute (HRI).

The Salt Lake City–based company will rename the latter two organizations CenExel CNS and CenExel HRI, respectively.

CenExel CNS and CenExel HRI operate five clinical research sites based in California and New Jersey.

The leadership of the two organizations will remain unchanged, with Dr. David Walling continuing to guide the research at CenExel CNS and Dr. Howard Hassman doing so at CenExel HRI.

CenExel has been on a hiring spree this year. In January, the firm picked up the Rocky Mountain Movement Disorders Center, which specialized in researching movement disorders. In February, CenExel announced the acquisition of CTSdatabase, a developer of a clinical trial subject registry. In May, the company acquired iResearch, a multi-specialty research site busin…

Unlock advanced CBD formulations with nutritional lipids

Scientist pipetting samples into micro centrifuge tubes ready for automated analysis. Image courtesy of DSM.

Cannabidiol (CBD) is fast emerging as an exciting ingredient across the pharmaceutical market, powered by increasing scientific research investigating its potential benefits in a number of disease states, including central nervous system (CNS) disorders, pain management, cancer and more. While there is a remarkable opportunity for the development of CBD-based solutions in the field, formulation can be challenging at times, especially when the focus is on increasing the oral bioavailability of the molecule. There are new and emerging ways to address the technical challenges associated with CBD bioavailability and enable the molecule to fulfill its full potential as a therapeutic agent. Here, we explore how lipid-based systems may hold the key to success in this space.

Understanding the complexity of CBD f…