San Diego, California: Neurocrine Biosciences announced on Thursday that it is halting the development of its experimental drug luvadaxistat, designed to enhance cognitive function in patients with schizophrenia, following disappointing results in a mid-stage clinical trial.
The company reported that the drug failed to meet its primary goal due to significant variability in cognitive performance measurements among patients and a potential imbalance in their baseline characteristics. “Luvadaxistat did not replicate the results from a previous mid-stage trial,” the company said, explaining the inconsistency in outcomes.
In an earlier study, luvadaxistat had also failed to achieve its main objective of improving negative symptoms of schizophrenia but showed promise in secondary measures, demonstrating an improvement in cognitive performance.
Despite the setback, Neurocrine plans to redirect its resources toward the late-stage development of other drug candidates targeting both schizophrenia and depression. The company continues to explore other potential treatments within its portfolio.
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Shares of Neurocrine fell by 2.5% in after-hours trading following the announcement.
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Just last month, Neurocrine revealed positive mid-stage results for another schizophrenia drug, NBI-1117568, which showed a reduction in symptom severity. However, there are ongoing concerns about whether these benefits will hold in larger-scale trials.
