Accure Therapeutics, a new pharma R&D player in the central nervous system (CNS) field, has launched operations with a Series A round of funding totaling €7.6 million ($8.1M). The funding round was led by Alta Life Sciences and supported by the Centre for Technological and Industrial Development (CDTI). The company will develop a portfolio of new drug candidates to treat CNS diseases, supported by a seasoned team with solid pharma and biotech experience, who will run operations.
 
According to the company, there is a huge unmet medical need for disease modifier medicines; treatments that can change the course of serious orphan and non-orphan CNS diseases.
 
The company will start work on three distinct new medicine programs focused on innovative targets (POP, MMP, IGF1), truly differentiated in its sector. The initial assets, ACT-01 ready for testing in a clinical phase 2 study and both ACT-02 and ACT-03 in preclinical experiments, have been sourced from two Spanish R&D companies (Bionure and Iproteos) and academic research centers with a strong scientific background in neurobiology. The initial portfolio will serve as the basis for further expansion towards additional innovative R&D programs to be developed in CNS indications.
 
“With a portfolio that initially focuses on four CNS disorders—Optic Neuritis, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s Disease and Epilepsy—we are confident that Accure will create significant value in a CNS sector with significant market potential and pharma appetite for innovative new medicine programs,” said Montserrat Vendrell, partner at Alta Life Sciences. “Accure Therapeutics will operate according to the efficient small R&D pharma model and its team will be best positioned to deliver value to patients, care-givers, doctors and the industry at large.”
 
Laurent Nguyen, chief executive officer, Accure Therapeutics, said, “We are proud to announce the launch of Accure Therapeutics. The high-quality assets in our product portfolio have the potential to change the lives of patients living with disabling CNS diseases. Life is a gift, let us work hard to respect it.”
 
CNS disorders are a leading cause of disability and a major cause of deaths worldwide, with prevalence set to increase due to an aging population. The CNS pharmaceutical market exceeds $80 billion (€73bn) per year and sustained growth is expected over the coming years.