Inhibikase Halts Parkinson’s Drug Development After Phase II Failure, Shifts Focus to Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

Inhibikase Therapeutics has suspended further development of risvodetinib for Parkinson's disease following disappointing Phase II trial results16.

The Phase II trial met its primary safety and tolerability endpoint but failed to demonstrate significant efficacy in improving Parkinson's symptoms1.

Risvodetinib did not show significant improvement in the top measure of the Movement Disorder Society Universal Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS)1.

Inhibikase's stock price declined more than 19% in after-hours trading following the announcement1.

The company is shifting its focus to IkT-001Pro, its new lead program for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH)13.

In October 2024, Inhibikase secured up to $275 million in financing to fund the Phase 2b '702' trial of IkT-001Pro in PAH3.

IkT-001Pro is a prodrug of imatinib, which has shown potential benefits in PAH treatment but with tolerability issues3.

The failure of risvodetinib adds to a series of setbacks in Parkinson's disease drug development, including recent failures by Roche, Novartis, UCB, and Johnson & Johnson1.

Inhibikase will explore strategic options for risvodetinib, which was also being trialed for neurogenic constipation, dysphagia, and multiple system atrophy1.

The company expects to present a more complete analysis of the Phase II trial data at a future medical congress1.

Sources:

1. https://www.biospace.com/drug-development/inhibikase-scraps-parkinsons-drug-after-disappointing-mid-stage-data

3. https://www.inhibikase.com/news/press-releases/detail/125/inhibikase-therapeutics-announces-closing-of-up-to-275

6. https://endpts.com/inhibikase-shelves-parkinsons-asset-after-phase-2-flop/