Ovid Therapeutics Inc. is a New York-based biopharmaceutical company developing small molecule medicines to treat brain disorders and symptoms caused by excess neural excitability. Ovid is developing a pipeline of potential small molecule medicines that seek to meaningfully improve the lives of people affected by diseases of the central nervous system.
Ovid’s pipeline includes OV329, a next-generation GABA-aminotransferase inhibitor being developed as a potential therapy for treatment-resistant seizures and other undisclosed indications, as well as OV4071, the first oral direct activator of potassium-chloride cotransporter 2 (KCC2), being developed for multiple CNS disorders.
OV329 seeks to reduce neuronal hyperexcitability with less sedation and without the ocular changes associated with an older drug in the class, vigabatrin. Preclinical studies suggest that OV329 is more potent, delivers synaptic and extrasynaptic inhibition, and has a lasting pharmacodynamic effect with rapid tissue clearance. In a Phase 1 clinical study, OV329 demonstrated a favorable safety and tolerability profile, with no treatment-related ocular findings observed. Ovid plans to advance OV329 into Phase 2 clinical studies in adults with treatment-resistant seizures.
OV4071 is Ovid’s lead oral KCC2 direct activator program. Its continued development is supported by results from OV350 intravenous (IV), the first-ever KCC2 direct activator known to be dosed in humans. In the Phase 1 study of OV350 IV, OV350 showed a good safety profile, supporting the advancement of the Company’s KCC2 portfolio, including the first oral direct activator, OV4071. There were no treatment-related laboratory findings, no safety findings, and no treatment-related serious adverse events. Exploratory quantitative electrophysiology results suggest OV350 had central activity and spectral power consistent with expected physiological effects of KCC2 modulation, aligned with expected drug exposure in the brain, and pharmacokinetics were as predicted, informing dosing strategies for future KCC2 development programs.
Ovid is also advancing a broader KCC2 library comprising multiple compounds with differentiated pharmacology across neurological conditions with high unmet need, including neuropsychiatric, neurodevelopmental, and neurodegenerative disorders. These compounds are being developed in oral and intramuscular formulations to address clinical indications across the care continuum.
Ovid is led by a veteran team whose collective experience has contributed to the development and commercialization of more than 25 medicines for neurological and rare diseases over the past two decades.