Alkermes will present an overview of its pipeline at an R&D Day meeting for analysts and investors, highlighting three new drug candidates: a monomethyl fumarate (MMF) prodrug for the treatment of multiple sclerosis; ALKS 7106 for the treatment of pain; and RDB 1419, a cancer immunotherapy candidate based on interleukin-2 (IL-2) and its receptors, the company’s first proprietary biologic.
 
In addition, the company will provide details on later-stage pipeline candidates including: commercial plans for aripiprazole lauroxil, a once-monthly, long-acting atypical antipsychotic currently in Phase III development for the treatment of schizophrenia; review of the Phase II data for ALKS 5461, an opioid modulator with a novel mechanism for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD); and the clinical rationale and development plan, including initiation of a Phase II study for ALKS 3831, an oral compound designed as a broad spectrum antipsychotic treatment for schizophrenia.
 
“The three new drug candidates that we are unveiling exemplify the productivity of R&D at Alkermes — which now spans small molecules and biologics — and represent significant opportunities for us to address unmet needs for patients with major, chronic diseases: multiple sclerosis, pain and cancer,” said Elliot Ehrich, M.D., chief medical officer of Alkermes. “Our distinctive approach is to build on a foundation of known pharmacology and clinical practice, then apply our R&D expertise and novel insights to create proprietary medicines with real value for patients and treatment systems. We will highlight for investors at our R&D Day how Alkermes employs a rigorous clinical development process that incorporates state-of-the-art clinical trial techniques and robust study designs so we can obtain data early in the development process to make rapid decisions about the most promising candidates in our pipeline.”