Xenon Pharmaceuticals and Genentech extend their collaboration focused on pain targets

Xenon Pharmaceuticals Inc. provided an update on its two ongoing collaborations focused on identifying and developing novel pain targets and therapeutics with Genentech, a member of the Roche Group: ?1.The active research component of Xenon�s original collaboration with Genentech, which is focused on discovering and developing selective inhibitors of Nav1.7 for the treatment of pain, has been extended. 2.The research term for Xenon�s second collaboration with Genentech, which is centered on pain genetics, has been extended for another year until March 2017. Xenon�s first collaboration with Genentech, originally announced in early 2012, is focused on discovering and developing selective inhibitors of Nav1.7 for the treatment of pain. Using its Extreme Genetics discovery platform, Xenon identified Nav1.7 as a drug target for pain after discovering that the Nav1.7 protein is deficient in the rare genetic disorder congenital indifference to pain, in which people are unable to feel pain. This collaboration has progressed to the clinical stage, and Genentech continues to provide funding to Xenon for certain employees who are performing research activities under a research collaboration plan. Currently, Genentech is conducting Phase 1 clinical trials for GDC-0276 and GDC-0310, which are both orally active, selective Nav1.7 small-molecule inhibitors being developed for the potential treatment of pain. Pending a full assessment of the Phase 1 results, Genentech intends to initiate a Phase II trial in 2016. In March 2014, Xenon and Genentech established a second collaboration centered on pain genetics with the goal of discovering and validating new therapeutic targets and mechanisms for treating pain. The collaboration leverages Xenon�s Extreme Genetics discovery platform to focus on identifying genetic targets associated with rare phenotypes where individuals have an inability to perceive pain or where individuals have non-precipitated spontaneous severe pain. Xenon and Genentech successfully discovered and identified a novel pain target, which triggered a milestone payment to Xenon in September 2015.