Biohaven gains rights to brain disorders candidate

US drug developer Biohaven (NYSE: BHVN), which is reinventing itself after selling its migraine business to Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) for $11 billion last year, says it has acquired global rights, excluding China regions, for the development of an oral, brain-penetrant, dual inhibitor of Tyrosine Kinase 2 (TYK2) and Janus Kinase 1 (JAK1) for the treatment of brain disorders.

BHV-8000 (previously TLL-041) was licensed from China's Hangzhoy Highlightll Pharmaceuticals, and Biohaven says it expects to advance the agent into a Phase I study in 2023.

BHV-8000 is a highly selective, brain-penetrant, dual TYK2/JAK1 inhibitor. TYK2 and JAK1 are STAT pathway activators addressing a range of proinflammatory cytokines; inhibition of these kinases may play a significant role in reducing inflammation in neurological disorders including Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and multiple sclerosis. BHV-8000 has demonstrated high selectivity over JAK2, JAK3 and other kinases, potentially offering improved safety over less selective or non-selective JAK inhibitors. Mechanistic proof of concept for BHV-8000 has been demonstrated in multiple preclinical models.