Adamas Pharmaceuticals Overview

Adamas Pharmaceuticals is a clinical stage pharmaceutical company developing novel formulations and combinations of known drugs designed for superior clinical benefit

Adamas Pharmaceuticals ("Adamas") was founded to develop and commercialize novel medications based upon known classes of drugs that have the potential to offer significant clinical benefit over the current standard of care in areas of large unmet need.

Adamas' first products are based on the aminoadamantanes, a class of drugs first commercialized in the US in 1966 and which have found utility in multiple disease conditions over the years. Aminoadmantanes were first recognized for their activity against the M2 channel of influenza A viruses and subsequently for their ability to enhance dopaminergic activity. Later, scientists discovered their activity as use dependent, open channel blockers of excessive NMDA receptor activity, leading to their investigation as neuroprotective agents. More recently, the activity of drugs at the NMDA receptor channel has been linked to modulation of mTor expression which has been associated with behavioral and mood benefits. This broad array of mechanistic activity accounts in part for the clinical benefits of this class of drugs observed in a variety of neurological conditions, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis fatigue and traumatic brain injury.

Despite this breadth of mechanism and clinical potential, drugs in this class appear to have dose-limiting CNS side effects, and need careful up-titration as well as administration in multiple divided daily doses to be tolerated. Adamas recognized that the benefits of these drugs could be enhanced by reducing the CNS side effects and developing their use in combination with other agents that exhibit complementary mechanisms of action.

Led by a management team with extensive pharmaceutical industry experience and more than 30 NDAs to its credit, Adamas' business strategy is currently focused on advancing its CNS programs through development and US launch. Clinical stage programs include:

  • ADS-5102: for the treatment of levodopa induced dyskinesia in Parkinson's disease (Phase 2/3);
  • ADS-8704: for the symptomatic treatment of dementia (Pre-Phase 3) ;
  • ADS-8902: Triple Combination Antiviral Drug (TCAD) therapy for treatment of serious influenza infection (Phase 2)

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