Spruce Biosciences, HMNC Brain Health announce tildacerfont collaboration

Spruce Biosciences and HMNC Brain Health announced a strategic collaboration to develop Spruce’s investigational product candidate, tildacerfont, a second-generation CRF1 receptor antagonist, with HMNC’s companion diagnostic, the proprietary Cortibon Genetic Selection Tool, for the treatment of MDD. Under the agreement, HMNC will fund and conduct a Phase 2 proof-of-concept study of tildacerfont in MDD patients, who will be screened using Cortibon. Spruce has an option to in-license exclusive worldwide rights to Cortibon after completion of the study, if results are positive. If Spruce exercises its option, it will be responsible for the future worldwide development and commercialization of tildacerfont and Cortibon for the treatment of MDD under a collaboration framework that leverages HMNC’s ongoing expertise in precision psychiatry and companion diagnostics. Pursuant to the license terms, HMNC would be entitled to receive certain milestone payments and tiered royalties on net sales of tildacerfont in MDD.