Emalex Biosciences, a Chicago, IL-based biotechnology company, raised $250M in Series D funding.
The round was led by Bain Capital Life Sciences with participation from Paragon Biosciences, Valor Equity Partners, and Fidelity Management & Research Company, and several family offices.
The company intends to use the capital to fund a Phase 3 clinical trial and potential commercialization of a new class of drug for patients with Tourette Syndrome.
Founded by Jeff Aronin, Emalex Biosciences was created by Paragon Biosciences to develop treatments for central nervous system disorders. The company is in late-stage development of a new class of drug targeting the D1 receptor for patients with Tourette Syndrome and other conditions that have limited treatment options. Emalex’s first-in-class development candidate ecopipam, a novel investigational compound that is being studied as a potential treatment for certain central nervous system disorders, blocks the actions of the neurotransmitter dopamine at the D1 receptor. Ecopipam has been shown to be generally well tolerated in clinical trials conducted to date and has received Orphan Drug and Fast Track designation from the FDA for the treatment of patients with Tourette’s. Adverse events affecting primarily the central nervous system have been reported in clinical trials conducted to date, including headache, fatigue, somnolence, insomnia, restlessness, anxiety, depression and rarely, suicidal ideation.
The Phase 3 clinical trial for its investigational first-in-class new drug ecopipam, a novel dopamine-1 receptor antagonist, is expected to enroll more than 220 patients across approximately 90 sites.
FinSMEs
04/11/2022