Blackfynn Acquires Therapy Potentially Ready for Phase 3 Testing

Blackfynn announced that its is acquiring the rights to a candidate Parkinson’s disease treatment that others gave up on but is thought ready to move into pivotal Phase 3 testing.

Neither the investigative treatment nor the company that initially developed it — or other details of this acquisition — were identified in a Blackfynn press release.

“We are excited to apply Blackfynn’s approach, first to the development of this promising lead candidate for Parkinson’s, and then systematically to a diversified pipeline of treatments for Parkinson’s and a range of neurodegenerative diseases,” said Amanda Banks, MD, the company’s CEO.

Blackfynn uses what it calls a comprehensive approach to potential treatments for neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease, that draw on the combination of data analysis, technology, and expertise.

The company develops promising candidates with known modes of action that have been deprioritized or otherwise considered failures, due to what Blackfynn identifies as limitations in the design and execution of that drug’s trials. Its strategy includes optimizing trial design in part by testing in more limited, and carefully selected patient groups.

“Blackfynn’s data platform will enable our expert team to identify the most responsive patient populations and appropriate clinical endpoints, optimally design studies that have a higher chance of success and enable data-responsive execution. Our sole focus is on bringing effective treatments to patients in the near-term,” Banks said.

Blackfynn also announced that Karl Kieburtz, an MD with expertise in neurodegenerative diseases and clinical trials, has been named its chief medical officer. Kieburtz’s appointment was part of an expansion to an existing agreement with Clintrex Research Corporation, a strategic clinical trial partner.

“Blackfynn’s approach to drug development is clearly differentiated from what is done in the industry today, and one that we believe we can apply repeatedly to deliver multiple promising medicines in areas with high unmet need,” Kieburtz said.

“We aim to complete the registration study for our lead program in a targeted sub-population of patients that we identify as most likely to benefit, using a data-driven design and execution strategy that will increase our chances of bringing a more effective therapeutic option to patients,” he added.

“This treatment paradigm has the potential to fundamentally alter how we approach Parkinson’s therapy.”