IRLAB to initiate a study of IRL757 in Parkinsons’s disease with full financial backing from its development partner MSRD
Gothenburg, Sweden, March 27, 2025 – IRLAB Therapeutics AB (Nasdaq Stockholm: IRLAB A), a company discovering and developing novel treatments for Parkinson’s disease, today announced that its drug candidate IRL757 will be advanced into the next stage with a clinical study in patients with Parkinson’s disease suffering from apathy. The financing of startup cost of the study will be covered by the McQuade Center for Strategic Research and Development (MSRD) through an initial payment to IRLAB of USD 4.5 million in the current quarter. The first patients with Parkinson’s disease are expected to be enrolled in the second half of 2025.
ANNOUNCEMENT FOR EUROPEAN MEDICAL & PHARMACEUTICAL TRADE MEDIA AND EUROPEAN FINANCIAL MEDIA ONLY.
Gothenburg, Sweden, March 27, 2025 – IRLAB Therapeutics AB (Nasdaq Stockholm: IRLAB A), a company discovering and developing novel treatments for Parkinson’s disease, today announced that its drug candidate IRL757 will be advanced into the next stage with a clinical study in patients with Parkinson’s disease suffering from apathy. The financing of startup cost of the study will be covered by the McQuade Center for Strategic Research and Development (MSRD) through an initial payment to IRLAB of USD 4.5 million in the current quarter. The first patients with Parkinson’s disease are expected to be enrolled in the second half of 2025.
The decision to advance the development of IRL757 into a safety and efficacy signal finding study (Phase Ib) in Parkinson’s disease is based on the results in two recent Phase I studies: one in healthy adults and one in healthy adults aged 65 years and older.
"We are excited to continue our collaboration with MSRD, following the decision of the joint steering committee to continue the clinical development of IRL757, with a study aiming to find early signals of efficacy in Parkinson’s patients suffering from apathy. The scientific and financial support from our partner enables us to continue the development of this first-in-class drug candidate at high speed," says Kristina Torfgård, CEO of IRLAB.
Apathy is characterized by indifference, resignation and a lack of response to what is happening in the outside world. The condition often leads to significant disability and caregiver distress, affecting a substantial proportion of people living with Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and other diseases related to the central nervous system. Currently, there are no drugs on the market to treat apathy.
IRLAB and MSRD, a member of the global Otsuka family of pharmaceutical companies, formed a collaboration in May 2024 to advance IRL757 through proof-of-concept trials as a potential treatment for apathy.
IRLAB's drug candidate IRL757 has shown positive effects in several preclinical models of cognitive function, including improved motivation. This effect is believed to be associated with the drug candidate's unique ability to counteract disturbances in central nervous system nerve signaling proposed to underly apathy in several neurological conditions.