Tempero Bio has hit the brakes on a phase 2-stage alcohol use disorder (AUD) candidate while the biotech considers its options, according to the program’s partner.
The mGluR5 negative allosteric modulator, dubbed TMP-301, originated at Nxera Pharma’s NxWave discovery platform, but Tempero secured the license to the drug back in 2020.
Eight months ago, California-based Tempero launched a phase 2 study of TMP-301 in patients with AUD. That trial launch came alongside a $70 million series B round, with part of the proceeds earmarked to expand the TMP-301 program via “phase 3-enabling activities and preclinical studies for additional indications and formulations.”
As well as the AUD study, Tempero had also been assessing TMP-301 in a drug-drug interaction study involving individuals using cocaine.
At the time, Tempero Chief Scientific Officer Ricardo Dolmetsch, Ph.D., described TMP-301 as a “novel therapy that helps prevent relapse by targeting the underlying biology of addiction.”
But it seems times have changed at Tempero. In the third-quarter earnings results of Nxera—formerly known as the Sosei Group—Friday, the company briefly mentioned that Tempero had “paused the TMP-301 program and is currently evaluating options.”
Fierce Biotech has contacted Tempero for more details of its decision.