Seeking Novel Therapeutics for Anxiety Management

A global health company is seeking novel therapeutics for chronic and situational anxiety. Specifically, our client is interested in novel treatments with rapid onset that can be administered either daily (with a target of 4-6 hours of efficacy) for situational anxiety, or as a long-acting treatment (preferably monthly treatment) for chronic anxiety. 

Therapeutics should have minimal side effects such as gastrointestinal issues, sedation, ataxia, and lethargy. Safety and efficacy studies in rodents, dogs and cats are preferred. 

Approaches of Interest:

• Novel therapeutic approaches to address chronic anxiety and situational anxiety, preferably with validation in canine models 
• The delivery method must be non-invasive - ideally oral or topical for daily dosing, or injectable for long-acting approaches 
• The team is interested in serotonergics, 5-HT1A partial agonists, GABAergics, HPA axis mechanisms, and other novel mechanisms 
• All modalities are of interest, with a preference for small molecules, peptides, monoclonal antibodies, and biopharma assets 

Out of Scope:

• Approaches using hallucinogens/psychedelics or natural products 
• SSRIs and SRNIs are not of interest unless rapid onset can be achieved 

Developmental Stages of Interest:

• Opportunities should have in vivo validation of safety and efficacy, with a preference for canine data 
• Our client is open to opportunities with human validation if there is potential for it to be repurposed for other species, and/or similar molecules/therapeutics that are available for development 

Submission Information

Submission of one-page, 200–300-word briefs is encouraged, along with any optional supplementary information e.g. relevant publications. In submitting to this campaign, you confirm that your submission contains only non-confidential information. 

Opportunity for Collaboration

Our client is open to a range of collaboration opportunities, with the most appropriate outcome being decided on a case-by-case basis. Example outcomes include licensing assets, project/PhD funding, and research collaborations.