Biogen is saying goodbye to part of its tie-up with Sage Therapeutics after the duo’s experimental medicine failed a Phase 2 essential tremor study this summer.
That July flop left the drug’s future up in the air, as the companies have yet to say whether they’ll keep testing SAGE-324 in other indications they’ve highlighted in the past, including Parkinson’s and epilepsy. Sage said Thursday it plans to “continue to evaluate other potential indications, if any.”
Now, Biogen will have no part in the experimental medicine’s future. The Boston drugmaker said Thursday it will ditch the collaboration and license agreement on Feb. 17, giving Sage full control of the neuroactive steroid GABAA receptor positive allosteric modulator.
SAGE-324 was part of a broader $3.1 billion pact that largely focused on zuranolone. That drug ended up getting approved last year for postpartum depression, but was rejected as a treatment for major depressive disorder, dealing a major setback in the medicine’s broader potential. The duo will continue partnering on that medicine, marketed as Zurzuvae.
In a Thursday SEC filing, Sage said Biogen notified the company of its decision last Friday.