GRIN Therapeutics Enters Collaboration with Angelini Pharma, Raises $140 Million

Rare Daily Staff

GRIN Therapeutics said it entered into a collaboration with Angelini Pharma for the development and commercial rights outside of North America for its experimental drug radiprodil, which is in development for multiple rare genetic epilepsies and neurodevelopmental disorders.

Under the terms of the agreement, GRIN Therapeutics will continue to lead global development and retain exclusive rights for radiprodil in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Angelini Pharma will receive exclusive rights to commercialize radiprodil in the rest of the world. GRIN Therapeutics will receive an upfront payment of $50 million, and the parties will share certain clinical development costs for radiprodil.

GRIN Therapeutics may receive up to an additional $520 million based on achieving certain development, regulatory, and sales milestones. GRIN Therapeutics is also eligible to receive tiered royalties based on global sales as well as payments from any future sublicense transactions outside of Europe.

The company also announced the closing of its $140 million series D financing with investment by Angelini Pharma and Blackstone Life Sciences. Angelini made a $65 million strategic equity investment in GRIN as part of that financing. Existing GRIN Therapeutics investor Blackstone Life Sciences contributed $75 million to the Series D financing round. Jacopo Andreose, CEO of Angelini Pharma, will join GRIN’s board of directors.

Radiprodil is a targeted, selective, and potent negative allosteric modulator of the GluN2B subunit of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor. NMDA receptors are crucial for synaptic transmission, cognition, and seizures. Several neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) and epilepsy syndromes are associated with either genetic mutations or overactivation of NMDA receptors.

Radiprodil has received multiple regulatory designations, including Breakthrough Therapy designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of seizures associated with GRIN-related neurodevelopmental disorders (GRIN-NDD) with gain-of-function variants. Additionally, radiprodil has been granted FDA Orphan Drug designation, rare pediatric disease designation, European Medicines Agency Priority Medicines designation, and a positive opinion for orphan designation from the EMA Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use for the treatment of GRIN-NDD.

The company remains on track to initiate a global, pivotal phase 3 clinical trial for radiprodil in GRIN-NDD in the third quarter of 2025. Additionally, an ongoing open-label phase 1b/2a study, known as the Astroscape trial, is evaluating radiprodil in patients with tuberous sclerosis complex and focal cortical dysplasia type II.

“This strategic collaboration marks an important point of validation for GRIN Therapeutics, the clinical data generated to date, and the potential of radiprodil as the first approved treatment for patients with GRIN-related neurodevelopmental disorder (GRIN-NDD)—a population with urgent unmet need,” said Bruce Leuchter, president and CEO of Neurvati Neurosciences and GRIN Therapeutics. “With this momentum, we are well-positioned to move radiprodil into pivotal trials and take an important step toward delivering a novel therapeutic option to patients and families.”