SOM way to re-purpose a drug

Privately-held Spanish company SOM Biotech has come up with a new usage for the hypertension therapy bevantolol, marketed by Japan-based Nippon Chemiphar under the name Calvan.

The Barcelona-based firm has determined that this drug is a highly effective vesicular monoamine transporter type 2 (VMAT2) inhibitor, a class of compounds that has shown success in treating central nervous system movement disorders such as Huntington's chorea, tardive dyskinesia, and Tourette's syndrome.

Nippon Chemiphar will provide extensive preclinical and clinical data that will enable SOM to initiate a Phase II proof of concept study of 30 patients at three centers in Europe beginning in December 2017. Additionally, the company will provide formulated ingredients for clinical trials.

SOM retains worldwide rights to the usage of bevantolol in these disorders with Nippon Chemiphar having a priority option to develop in numerous Asian countries.