BOSTON and LONDON, Aug. 27, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Centessa Pharmaceuticals plc (Nasdaq: CNTA), today announced that preclinical data from a non-human primate (NHP) study of ORX142, a highly potent and selective orexin receptor 2 (OX2R) agonist being developed to address excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) in select neurological, neurodegenerative, and psychiatric disorders, has been accepted for a late- breaking poster presentation at the 27^th Congress of the European Sleep Research Society (Sleep Europe 2024) being held September 24-27, 2024, in Seville, Spain.

The poster presentation will feature, for the first time, robust preclinical data demonstrating that low doses of ORX142 promoted wakefulness in non-human primates in a highly predictive and translational model.

“ORX142 is the second drug candidate from our growing pipeline of potentially best-in-class OX2R agonists that has shown significant activity in promoting wakefulness at very low doses in highly predictive and translational preclinical models,” said Saurabh Saha MD PhD, Chief Executive Officer of Centessa. “We believe these non-human primate data are compelling as they demonstrate the potential for ORX142, a highly potent and novel OX2R agonist, to alleviate excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) in select neurological, neurodegenerative, and psychiatric disorders with no significant loss of orexin. We are thrilled to be sharing these preclinical data in a late-breaking presentation at Sleep Europe 2024.”

Details of the poster presentation are as follows:
Title: ORX142, an Oral, Highly Potent and Selective Orexin Receptor 2 Agonist, Promotes Wakefulness in Non-Human Primates
Poster Number: P5073
Authors: Sarah Wurts Black, Tod Steinfeld, Karl Gibson, Emiliangelo Ratti, David Grainger, Mario Alberto Accardi, and Deborah S. Hartman
Poster Presentation: Thursday, September 26^th at 12:00 - 13:30 and 17:30 - 18:45 (local time)

Additional meeting information can be found on the Sleep Europe 2024 website at https://esrs.eu/sleep-congress/. The abstracts are expected to be published approximately two weeks prior to the start of the conference. The poster will also be available on the Centessa website at https://investors.centessa.com/events-presentations after the conference concludes. 

About Centessa’s Orexin Agonist Program
Orexin is a neuropeptide that regulates the sleep-wake cycle, leading to arousal and promoting wakefulness. Low levels of orexin result in excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) and poor regulation of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and, in narcolepsy type 1 (NT1), cataplexy and other symptoms. Centessa is developing a pipeline of potential best-in-class orexin receptor 2 (OX2R) agonists intended to be orally administered for sleep-wake disorders, including NT1, narcolepsy type 2 (NT2) and idiopathic hypersomnia (IH), with therapeutic potential to alleviate EDS in select neurological, neurodegenerative, and psychiatric conditions. The Company’s lead asset, ORX750, is in a Phase 1 clinical study. ORX750 and ORX142 have not been approved by the FDA or any other regulatory authority.

About Centessa Pharmaceuticals
Centessa Pharmaceuticals plc is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company that aims to discover and develop medicines that are transformational for patients. Our most advanced programs include a hemophilia program, an orexin agonist program for the treatment of narcolepsy and other sleep-wake disorders, and an immuno-oncology program focused on our LockBody® technology platform. We operate with the conviction that each of our programs has the potential to change the current treatment paradigm and establish a new standard of care. For more information, visit www.centessa.com, which does not form part of this release.

Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements. These statements may be identified by words such as “may,” “might,” “will,” “could,” “would,” “should,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “objective,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” “continue,” “ongoing,” “aim,” “seek,” and variations of these words or similar expressions that are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Any such statements in this press release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements, including statements related to the Company’s ability to discover and develop transformational medicines for patients; its expectations for executing on the Company's pipeline; its expectations on its anticipated cash runway; the timing of commencement of new studies or clinical trials or clinical and preclinical data related to SerpinPC, LB101, other LockBody candidates, the LockBody technology platform, ORX750, ORX142 and other orexin agonist molecules; its ability to identify, screen, recruit and maintain a sufficient number of or any subjects in its existing and anticipated studies or clinical trials including PRESent-5, the observational feeder study, PRESent-2 and PRESent-3 and studies or trials of LB101 and any other LockBody candidates, ORX750, ORX142 and other orexin agonist molecules; its expectations on executing its research and clinical development plans and the timing thereof; its expectations as to the potential results and impact of each of its clinical programs and trials; the Company’s ability to differentiate SerpinPC, LB101, other LockBody candidates, ORX750, ORX142 and other orexin agonist molecules from other treatment options; the development, design and therapeutic potential of SerpinPC, LB101, other LockBody candidates, the LockBody technology platform, ORX750, ORX142 and other orexin agonist molecules; and regulatory matters, including the timing and likelihood of success of obtaining regulatory clearance, obtaining authorizations to initiate or continue clinical trials. Any forward-looking statements in this press release are based on our current expectations, estimates, assumptions and projections only as of the date of this release and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially and adversely from those set forth in or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, risks related to the safety and tolerability profile of our product candidates; our ability to identify, screen and recruit a sufficient number of or any subjects in our existing and anticipated new studies or clinical trials including PRESent-2, PRESent-3, PRESent-5, and studies or trials of LB101, ORX750 or ORX142 or within anticipated timelines; our expectations relating to the Phase 1 first-in-human, clinical trial of ORX750, including the predicted timing of enrollment, the predicted efficacious doses of ORX750 and our ability to successfully conduct our clinical development of ORX750, our ability to protect and maintain our intellectual property position; business (including commercial viability), regulatory, economic and competitive risks, uncertainties, contingencies and assumptions about the Company; risks inherent in developing product candidates and technologies; future results from our ongoing and planned clinical trials; our ability to obtain adequate financing, including through our financing facility with Oberland, to fund our planned clinical trials and other expenses; trends in the industry; the legal and regulatory framework for the industry, including the receipt and maintenance of clearances to conduct or continue clinical testing; our operating costs and use of cash, including cash runway, cost of development activities and conducting clinical trials, future expenditures risks; the risk that any one or more of our product candidates will not be successfully developed and/or commercialized; the risk that the historical results of preclinical studies or clinical studies will not be predictive of future results in ongoing or future studies; economic risks to the United States and United Kingdom banking systems; and geo-political risks such as the Russia-Ukraine war or the Middle East conflicts. These and other risks concerning our programs and operations are described in additional detail in our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and our other reports, which are on file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). We explicitly disclaim any obligation to update any forward-looking statements except to the extent required by law.

Contact:

Kristen K. Sheppard, Esq.
SVP of Investor Relations
investors@centessa.com