BRIEF—Karuna Pharma granted $8 million to develop schizophrenia candidate

PureTech Health affiliate Karuna Pharmaceuticals, a specialist in disorders marked by psychosis and cognitive symptoms, has been awarded $8 million by the UK’s Wellcome Trust.

The money will be used to advance clinical development of Karuna’s lead programme, KarXT (Karuna-Xanomeline-Trospium), through a Phase II study in people with schizophrenia.

Chief executive Andrew Miller said, “With KarXT, we have an opportunity to potentially improve positive, negative, and cognitive symptoms based on prior compelling efficacy data with xanomeline, and without the debilitating side effects of existing therapies.”

Wellcome previously awarded Karuna $3.8 million to fund a Phase I tolerability proof-of-concept study with KarXT, which reported successful results.