Developer raises $36M, will help fund late-stage Parkinson’s clinical trial
Novel hybrid drug treatment strategy combines medication with an app
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- New York-based Remepy has raised $36 million in financing, to be used in part to advance its development of Hybridopa for Parkinson’s disease.
- The funding will support a late-stage clinical trial testing a levodopa plus AI strategy as a Parkinson's treatment.
- In a pilot study, the approach was shown to ease symptom severity and improve brain communication.
Remepy has raised $36 million in financing, which the company will use in part to fund a late-stage clinical trial testing Hybridopa, its novel treatment strategy for Parkinson’s disease that combines medication with a mobile application.
With these funds in hand, the New York-based Remepy expects to launch a Phase 3 trial later this year, according to a company press release detailing the development of its drug-software combination products.
“This financing allows us to advance Phase III of Hybridopa for Parkinson’s disease, and expand the Hybrid Drug model across multiple therapeutic areas,” said Michal Tsur, PhD, and Or Shoval, coCEOs of Remepy.
The trial is expected to start in the last three months of the year, per Remepy.
A neurological disorder, Parkinson’s is marked by the loss of brain cells that make dopamine, a key signaling molecule. Reduced dopamine signaling disrupts normal brain activity and ultimately drives Parkinson’s symptoms.
Levodopa is a mainstay Parkinson’s treatment that works by giving the brain more raw material with which to make dopamine, which can help ease disease symptoms.
Remepy’s hybrid drug model uses AI and levodopa
Remepy’s hybrid drug model involves combining medications with apps that use artificial intelligence (AI) to provide personalized health guidance. Hybridopa combines standard levodopa treatment with an app called DopApp. The app includes programs to train memory and improve navigation, as well as offering rehabilitation and psychological support features.
“We believe medicine is entering a new era, where every breakthrough drug will be paired with personalized intelligence to maximize its impact for every patient,” Tsur and Shoval said. “Over the past year, we’ve demonstrated that this vision is achievable through clinical validation, peer-reviewed science, regulatory alignment, and partnerships with leading pharmaceutical companies.”
Hybridopa was tested in a pilot study, in which Parkinson’s patients taking levodopa were randomly assigned to use DopApp or a placebo app, with generic educational materials, for three weeks. The results indicated that the hybrid drug approach eased symptom severity and improved measures of brain communication. The upcoming Phase 3 study aims to confirm these benefits.
The financing round was led by the venture capital firm O.G. Venture Partners, alongside M Ventures, the corporate strategic venture arm of pharma company Merck.
[This investment underscores] our belief that this new class of medicine — that combines innovative therapeutics with AI-driven, patient-centered care — has the potential to redefine medicine.
“By bringing together biotechnology, AI, and digital health, Remepy is redefining how medicines are developed and delivered,” said Ziv Kop, managing partner at O.G. Venture Partners in Israel. “With compelling clinical data, growing regulatory momentum, and strong validation from leading pharmaceutical partners, we believe Hybrid Drugs have the potential to transform patient care.”
Eyal Ben Ami, PhD, scientific lead at M Ventures, said that investing in this program “is intended to further enable the company, underscoring our belief that this new class of medicine — that combines innovative therapeutics with AI-driven, patient-centered care — has the potential to redefine medicine.”
No further information was provided about the upcoming clinical trial.
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