Tau Therapeutics and Xdynia merge to form Cavion

Privately-held US drugmakers Tau Therapeutics and Xdynia announced today that they have merged; the surviving entity in the merger, Tau Therapeutics, has been renamed Cavion. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The merger was approved by the managers and shareholders of both companies. The name “Cavion” reflects the combined company’s therapeutic approach of selectively inhibiting the Cav3 ion channel (T-type calcium channel).

Both Tau Therapeutics and Xdynia have been developing T-type calcium channel inhibitors for separate indications. Tau Therapeutics has worked to develop T-type calcium channel antagonists that improve the efficacy of standard chemotherapies and radiation therapies against solid tumor cancers. Xdynia has focused on inhibiting the T-type calcium channel to provide better treatments for the prevention and treatment of neuropathic pain and other neurologic diseases. The goal of the merger is to create a platform company with a portfolio of valuable oncology and neurology preclinical and clinical stage assets, thereby increasing the probability of developing multiple successful drugs in both the oncology and neurology programs.