Date: 2017-12-18
Type of information: Collaboration agreement
Compound: SENS-401 (R-azasetron besylate) in combination with cochlear implants
Company: Sensorion (France) Cochlear Limited (Australia)
Therapeutic area: Otorhinolaryngology
Type agreement: collaboration - licensing
Action mechanism:
- setron/selective-5-ht3-receptor-antagonist/medical device. R-azasetron besylate aims to protect and preserve inner ear tissue when lesions are present that can cause progressive or sequelar hearing impediments. It is one of the two enantiomer forms of SENS-218, azasetron, a racemic molecule belonging to the family of setrons marketed in Asia under the name Serotone.
- Cochlear implants replace the function of the damaged inner ear, converting digitally-coded sound into electrical impulses that stimulate the hearing nerve and then the brain, where they are interpreted as sound.
Disease:
Details:
- • On December 18, 2017, Sensorion and Cochlear Limited announced a strategic collaboration focused on improving hearing outcomes in patients with cochlear implants. The collaboration will evaluate therapeutic approaches using SENS-401 in combination with cochlear implants, with preclinical studies initiating in 2018,
and potential clinical trials to begin as soon as 2019. As part of this strategic collaboration, Cochlear will invest €1.6 million in shares of Sensorion. In exchange, Cochlear will receive a right of first negotiation for a global license to use SENS-401 in patients with certain implantable devices.
- The preclinical combination studies will evaluate SENS-401’s therapeutic effect on hearing outcomes achieved with Cochlear’s implantable devices. SENS-401 has demonstrated in preclinical models (noise and drug induced hearing loss) the capacity to enhance survival and preserve functional integrity of hair cells in the inner ear. It has the potential to improve hearing outcomes for patients undergoing cochlear implant surgery.
Financial terms:
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Is general: Yes
