Auspex's lead compound, SD-809, is being developed for the treatment of the involuntary movements that characterize several neurological disorders including Huntington's disease, Tourette syndrome and tardive dyskinesia.
About Auspex
COMPANY OVERVIEW
Auspex Pharmaceuticals is utilizing the unique properties of deuterium to develop a pipeline of best-in-class drugs in several important disease areas. This approach generates patentable new chemical entities that are designed to provide important benefits over existing therapies:
- Improved safety
- Improved efficacy
- Reduced patient-to-patient variability
- Fewer drug-drug interactions
- More convenient dosing regimens
- Better patient compliance
Furthermore, this approach reduces the cost and risk of drug development, since it directly exploits the known pharmacological and toxicological properties of existing therapies as well as their regulatory paths.
Auspex's lead compound, SD-809, is a novel inhibitor of the vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT-2). Inhibition of VMAT-2 decreases the amount of dopamine released in key regions of the brain, thereby inhibiting the involuntary movements that characterize several neurological disorders. SD-809 is a deuterium-substituted analogue of tetrabenazine that is being developed for the treatment of a set of movement disorders including Huntington's disease, Tourette syndrome and tardive dyskinesia. SD-809 is intended to provide a once- or twice-daily therapeutic that retains the VMAT-2 inhibitory properties of tetrabenazine but with significant safety, convenience, and compliance advantages over that drug. Other compounds in the company's pipeline address such indications as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, inflammatory diseases, and neuropathic pain.
Auspex is a clinical-stage, venture-financed company headquartered in San Diego, California.