A schizophrenia drug in Cerevel Therapeutics Inc.’s lineup understandably stole much of the thunder during coverage of Abbvie Inc.’s takeover late last year to the tune of $8.7 billion, but much further back in the pipeline awaits another potentially lucrative prospect: a kappa opioid receptor antagonist (KORA) for major depressive disorder (MDD).

Aussie biotech Alterity Therapeutics Ltd. released interim data of an open-label phase II trial for lead candidate ATH-434 for treating multiple system atrophy that showed 43% of participants improved, with 29% showing either stable or improved neurological symptoms.

Targeting human glutaminyl-peptide cyclotransferase (QPCT) has emerged as a potential strategy in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). As the main substrates of this enzyme are involved in biological processes associated with neurodegenerative diseases, Parkinson’s disease (PD) and others may be other options to explore as well.

Following a data-cleaning delay and mixed results in Alzheimer’s disease, Annovis Bio Inc. reported phase III Parkinson’s disease data showing treatment with buntanetap stops cognitive decline and improves motor and other functions, including postural instability and gait difficulty, meeting all primary and secondary endpoints.

Spur Therapeutics Ltd., formerly Freeline Therapeutics, has announced new data from its GBA1 Parkinson’s disease research program. In a subset of Parkinson’s disease patients with mutations in the GBA1 gene, such mutations lead to a deficiency of the glucocerebrosidase (GCase) enzyme and the accumulation of harmful substrates.

“Do dreams predict the future?” Abidemi Otaiku asked his audience at the 10th Congress of the European Academy of Neurology, currently being held in Helsinki. Most audience members, being hard-boiled scientists, did not believe they did. But Otaiku, whose work won the award for best clinical abstract at the conference, presented data indicating that in some cases, they can.

NLS Pharmaceutics Ltd. has announced preclinical results from in vitro studies targeting α-synuclein, specifically the A53T mutation, demonstrating the potential of Aexon Labs Inc.’s compounds for Parkinson’s disease.

Shanghai Henlius Biotech Inc. has announced preclinical data showing that its small-molecule drug HLX-99 exhibited antineurodegenerative activities in multiple models, warranting further development.