A paradigm shift in stroke and brain injuries

Edvince AB is a Swedish pharmaceutical development company operating a differentiated platform for the vascular treatment of acute neurological conditions. With a strong clinical efficacy signal in the Phase 2a trial, a preclinically validated mechanism of action and a scalable business model, Edvince has established a portfolio that supports development within three main therapeutic areas – subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH), focal ischaemia (FI), and global ischaemia (GI).

• At present, there is no effective treatment for the brain damage resulting from SAH, FI, and GI. The damage includes severe motor and cognitive impairment.

• The global incidence of subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) is approximately 6.1 per 100,000 people per year or 8.3 per 100,000 people per year.

• Globally, the incidence of stroke is estimated at approximately 11.9 million new cases per year, or approximately 141.6 per 100,000 people per year globally.

• Approximately 80% of patients suffer global cerebral ischaemia/anoxic brain injury following cardiac arrest associated with myocardial infarction.
  
  An academic research paper, published a few years ago, highlighted the fundamental problem of developing new drugs for stroke – an area that has long remained a scientific and commercial challenge. In the 20 years preceding the publication, around 430 potentially promising drug candidates had been developed:

• Approximately 70% of these projects were discontinued

• 17% were still in the preclinical phase

• 9% were undergoing various clinical trials

• Only 4% had reached the market

Despite investments running into the billions and decades of research, clinical successes remain extremely limited. According to research carried out by Edvince’s scientific team, this is not primarily due to a lack of resources or shortcomings in drug design – but rather to an incomplete understanding of the biological mechanisms that cause brain damage following stroke and other acute neurological events.

Edvince’s researchers have not only identified and mapped these damage processes but have also developed a drug candidate that actively counteracts them, which in clinical trials has shown a strong clinical signal of efficacy, resulting in reduced brain damage. For the first time, there is therefore the potential to break the long-standing deadlock in stroke care and give patients the opportunity for better recovery.

An effective medicine, based on these scientific findings and supported by successful clinical development, would represent a decisive breakthrough in how stroke is understood and treated – with results that have not previously been possible to achieve.

There is therefore a significant medical need for new, effective medicines during the acute phase of the disease to prevent the onset of brain damage following a stroke, and Edvince is set to make such treatment possible for patients with stroke and brain damage.