Dive Brief:
- ABBV-8E12 is being developed to treat progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), a rare neurodegenerative disease.
- Estimated epidemiology for PSP in the U.S. is roughly 20,000 people and, in the U.K, roughly 4,000 people.
- ABBV-8E12, which is being tested in early phase I trials, targets tau proteins found in neurofibrillary tangles in the brains of individuals with PSP.
Dive Insight:
PSP is a rare disease that is often misdiagnosed as Parkinson's disease (PD). Common symptoms include loss of balance initially, which eventually progresses to blurred vision and problems controlling eye movements.
AbbVie is co-developing ABBV-8E12 with C2N Diagnostics. Both companies are excited about moving forward with phase I trials based on the strength of the preclinical data. Also, in addition to the work on PSP using the anti-tau antibodies, the companies are also looking into therapeutic application of ABVV-8E12 in Alzheimer's disease.