ACER-801 (osanetant) is an investigational non-hormonal, neurokinin 3 receptor (NK3R) antagonist that is being developed as a potential treatment option for patients with VMS, including menopause-related VMS (MR-VMS) and induced VMS (iVMS), as well as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and prostate cancer. In December 2018, we entered into an exclusive license agreement with Sanofi to acquire worldwide rights to ACER-801.
In March 2023, we announced that topline results from our Phase 2a proof of concept clinical trial to evaluate ACER-801 as a potential treatment for moderate to severe VMS associated with menopause showed that ACER-801 was safe and well-tolerated but did not achieve statistical significance when evaluating ACER-801’s ability to decrease the frequency or severity of hot flashes in postmenopausal women. As a result, we are pausing the ACER-801 program until we have conducted a thorough review of the full data set.
Acute Stress Disorder and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Background
Acute stress disorder (“ASD”) refers to the body’s immediate response to trauma, whereas post-traumatic stress disorder (“PTSD”) is defined as the long-term effects of trauma. While the role of the neurokinin 3 receptor (“NK3R”) pathway in the hypothalamus to manage thermoregulation is well-established in clinical trials, evaluation of osanetant in these indications would provide an opportunity to explore a different mechanism of action for the drug candidate.
In May 2021, we entered into an agreement with Emory University for an exclusive worldwide license to U.S. Patent No. 10,314,835, US Application 15/320,952, and European Patent No. EP3160469 covering certain methods of treating or preventing PTSD with osanetant.
ASD and PTSD Diagnosis and Incidence
According to the National Center for PTSD, in the U.S. about 60% of men and 50% of women experience at least one trauma in their lives leading to approximately 12 million adults in the U.S. experiencing PTSD during a given year.1 In the U.S. alone, one-third of emergency department visits are for evaluation after trauma exposures and up to 20% of people who have experienced a traumatic event will develop PTSD. In addition, within one month of a trauma, survivors show rates of ASD ranging from 6% to 33% depending on the type of trauma.2,3
Rationale for ACER-801 Treatment for ASD and PTSD
Studies conducted at Emory University screened thousands of genes that were activated in the brains of mice following fear conditioning events. The top gene identified was Tac2, which is responsible for the production of the peptide, Neurokinin B (NKB), in mice. The researchers showed that the Tac2 gene, expressed by neurons specifically within the amygdala, is required for modulating fear memories, and that NKB, and its specific receptor, NK3R, are also involved in the consolidation of fear memories. By administering the potent and specific NK3R antagonist, osanetant, they were able to block fear memory consolidation shortly after exposure to a trauma, supporting development of a potential novel therapeutic approach for disorders with altered fear learning such as PTSD.4
The Tac3 gene encodes tachykinin receptor 3 (NK3R), which belongs to the tachykinin receptor family. This family of proteins includes typical G protein-coupled receptors and belongs to the rhodopsin subfamily. NK3R functions by binding to its high-affinity ligand, neurokinin B (“NKB”), which is encoded by the Tac3 (human) gene. The role of NKB-NK3R in growth and reproduction has been extensively studied, but NKB-NK3R is also widely expressed in the nervous system from the spinal cord to the brain and is involved in both physiological and pathological processes in the nervous system.5 In animal models, Tac2 (mice) mRNA levels are rapidly up-regulated during fear consolidation 30 minutes after fear conditioning, and subsequent NKB-NK3R activation can lead to over stress sensitization and the consolidation of fear6, and treatment with osanetant has been shown to block a critical fear/stress sensitization step in the brain.5,7,8 An effective therapeutic to reduce acute and persistent/long-term psychological and somatic symptoms would fulfill a large unmet need.
Registration Status in ASD and PTSD
In October 2022, following our announced expansion of our ACER-801 program into ASD and PTSD, we reported that the University of North Carolina Institute for Trauma Recovery has been awarded a $3.0 million grant from the Department of Defense to investigate the potential of ACER-801 to reduce the frequency and severity of acute stress disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. We are pausing the ACER-801 program in all indications until we have conducted a thorough review of the full data from our Phase 2a proof of concept clinical trial to evaluate ACER-801 (osanetant) as a potential treatment for moderate to severe Vasomotor Symptoms (VMS) associated with menopause. Topline results from this trial showed that ACER-801 was safe and well-tolerated but did not achieve statistical significance when evaluating ACER-801’s ability, when compared to placebo, to decrease the frequency or severity of hot flashes in postmenopausal women.
References
- National Center for PTSD. How Common is PTSD in Adults?
- Sidran Institute. Traumatic Stress Education & Advocacy Fact Sheet.
- National Center for PTSD. https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand/related/acute_stress.asp
- Al Abed et. Al, Biological Psychiatry 2021.
- Andero R, Dias BG, Ressler KJ. A role for Tac2, NkB, and Nk3 receptor in normal and dysregulated fear memory consolidation. Neuron. 2014;83(2):444-454.
- Zhang et al. Tacr3/NK3R: Beyond Their Roles in Reproduction. ACS Chemical Neuroscience 2020 11 (19), 2935-2943.
- Andero R, Daniel S, Guo JD, et al. Amygdala-Dependent Molecular Mechanisms of the Tac2 Pathway in Fear Learning. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2016;41(11):2714-2722
- Zelikowsky M, Ding K, Anderson DJ. Neuropeptidergic Control of an Internal Brain State Produced by Prolonged Social Isolation Stress. Cold Spring Harb Symp Quant Biol. 2018;83:97-103