AmyriAD Therapeutics Acquires Recognify Life Sciences

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AmyriAD Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focusing on cognition in central nervous system (CNS) disorders, has acquired Recognify Life Sciences.

The transaction includes RL-007 (inidascamine), Recognify’s lead clinical-stage program. At the same time, it preserves Ismidenon (AD-101) as AmyriAD’s lead program against Alzheimer’s disease. But on the whole, AmyriAD says, the deal strengthens its clinical-stage cognition pipeline.

Adding Recognify Candidate to Portfolio

RL-007, an orally administered, first-in-class pro-cognitive compound, modulates cholinergic, glutamatergic, and GABA-B receptor activity. In doing so, it restores a balance of excitatory and inhibitory signaling underlying cognitive dysfunction in numerous CNS disorders.

For AmyriAD, RL-007 adds a differentiated, pro-cognitive mechanism with clinical-stage experience in cognitive impairment associated with schizophrenia (CIAS). AmyriAD says this gives the company greater depth in this particular area. Concurrently, it creates a second development path in a large and underserved CNS indication.

AmyriAD the Right Partner for Future

“RL-007 fits squarely into what AmyriAD was built to do,” AmyriAD Chair of the Board Ranga Krishnan, MD, said. “We are a cognition company.”

Matthew Pando, PhD, Recognify President and CEO, expressed looking forward to participating in RL-007’s next chapter.

“AmyriAD’s singular focus on cognition and experienced CNS team make it the right owner to take inidascamine forward,” Pando said.

To date, RL-007 has been studied in some 500 subjects—most recently in a Phase IIb study. It demonstrates a consistent safety and tolerability profile, with no evidence of sedation, weight gain, or extrapyramidal symptoms.

Neither company made financial terms of the acquisition public at the time of the announcement.