Watertown, MA-based EnVivo Pharmaceuticals presented results from a Phase 2b study of its schizophrenia compound, EVP-6124, today at the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology meeting in Hawaii. The drug demonstrated statistically significant improvements in cognitive function—the study’s main endpoint—the company said in a statement. Improvements were also observed in so-called negative symptoms of the disease—the inability to experience pleasure , to carry on normal social interactions, and so forth.
EVP-6124 is in a class of drugs known as alpha-7 nicotinic agonists. It was inspired by data showing that nicotine enhances cognitive functions such as learning, memory, and retention by activating certain receptors in the brain. EVP-6124 is EnVivo’s lead compound, and the company is also testing the drug in Alzheimer’s disease.
EnVivo was founded in 2001 and is funded by Fidelity Biosciences.
