The Week of

CervoMed reported encouraging early results for neflamapimod, an experimental treatment for a rare form of dementia called nonfluent variant primary progressive aphasia (nfvPPA). The disease gradually damages the brain's ability to produce speech, making it increasingly difficult for patients to communicate. There are currently no approved treatments.

In a Phase 2a trial, 12 weeks of treatment reduced average blood levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL), a protein associated with nerve-cell damage, by approximately 3.1 picograms per milliliter. CervoMed expects additional results in November 2026, with further clinical data anticipated in early 2027. Here’s more: https://substack.com/home/post/p-220042807.

Tortugas Neuroscience reported positive Phase 2b results for obuprazine (TRTL-107), an experimental schizophrenia treatment that significantly reduced symptoms, with some patients showing substantial improvements in just two weeks.

The drug works by regulating dopamine and serotonin, two brain chemicals involved in mood, thinking, and behavior.

After 42 days of treatment, all three dose groups showed statistically significant improvements compared with placebo. Patients receiving the lowest dose, 1.5 to 3 milligrams, experienced an average 28.6-point improvement on a standard schizophrenia symptom scale, compared with 11.9 points for those receiving the placebo.

Improvements included fewer hallucinations and delusions, better motivation, and clearer thinking. Check it out: https://substack.com/home/post/p-220044865.

Eton Pharmaceuticals and Aquestive Therapeutics announced a partnership to bring Libervant, a new seizure-rescue medication, to patients in the United States.

Libervant is designed for people with epilepsy who experience seizure clusters, which involve multiple seizures occurring close together. Unlike traditional rescue treatments delivered through the nose or rectum, Libervant comes as a thin film placed inside the cheek, where it dissolves and releases diazepam, a medication commonly used to control seizures.

Libervant has already received tentative FDA approval for certain age groups. Additional regulatory decisions are expected in 2027, with Eton targeting a commercial launch in April. Here’s more: https://substack.com/home/post/p-22036138.0.

Did you know that scientists discovered that a genetic risk factor for anorexia nervosa may originate outside the brain?

Researchers at Michigan State University found that people with severe anorexia were nearly four times more likely to carry rare, potentially damaging mutations in a gene called PLIN4, which helps regulate fat storage in the body.

Among 154 patients with severe anorexia, 11% carried these mutations, compared with approximately 3% of people in a reference population.

What's particularly interesting is that PLIN4 is primarily active in fat and muscle tissue, rather than the brain. This suggests that anorexia, traditionally viewed as a psychiatric disorder, may also involve problems with how the body stores and uses energy.

The findings still need confirmation in larger studies, but they could eventually help researchers develop treatments that target the body's metabolism alongside existing psychological therapies. Check it out: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2026.1937613/full.