Alkermes Reports Positive Vibrance-1 Phase 2 Results for Alixorexton, an Orexin 2 Receptor Agonist, Plans Late-Stage Testing

Alkermes Inc. announced positive topline results from its Vibrance-1 Phase 2 study evaluating once-daily Alixorexton, an orexin 2 receptor agonist, in patients with Narcolepsy Type 1. The investigational drug demonstrated improvements in wakefulness, reduced fatigue, and cognitive complaints, and was generally well tolerated. These results support further development as Alkermes plans to advance Alixorexton into late-stage clinical testing. The development of orexin-targeting therapies is part of a broader race among drugmakers, including Takeda and Centessa, to create new treatments for narcolepsy and other conditions characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness, such as Alzheimer's disease and depression. Separately, Clearside Biomedical announced approval of its XIPERE® suprachoroidal treatment for uveitic macular edema in Canada, adding to its existing approvals in the US, Australia, and Singapore, with regulatory review ongoing in China. XIPERE utilizes the Suprachoroidal Space (SCS) Microinjector platform and is licensed to Bausch + Lomb and Arctic Vision. Additionally, Alzamend Neuro reported its 2025 financial results and provided updates on clinical programs, while Apnimed is preparing filing plans for an oral sleep apnea drug following a second pivotal study success. AN2 Therapeutics and DNDi have initiated a collaboration on clinical development of a new oral compound for chronic Chagas disease, and ANI Pharmaceuticals announced results from its NEW DAY clinical trial of ILUVIEN® for diabetic macular edema.