Actimed retrieves ALS drug after Faraday collapse
UK biotech Actimed Therapeutics has regained global rights to S-oxprenolol from the now-defunct Faraday Pharmaceuticals, giving it control of the experimental muscle-wasting drug across cancer cachexia, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other potential indications.
Why it matters: Actimed had previously retained S-oxprenolol only for ALS. Bringing the remaining rights back in-house broadens its pipeline options, although the drug has yet to enter clinical development.
- The company plans to focus initially on ALS, a fatal neurodegenerative disease in which progressive muscle loss can impair movement, swallowing and breathing. Actimed said it will start a clinical development programme after completing chemistry, manufacturing and controls work.
The backstory: Faraday acquired worldwide rights to develop and commercialise S-oxprenolol outside ALS in April 2021. The Seattle biotech paid Actimed $550,000 through cash and an equity investment, with another $2.7 million available as a near-term milestone. The deal carried up to $123.5 million in total potential milestones, plus royalties.
- Faraday was developing treatments designed to limit cardiac and skeletal muscle loss but the company ceased operations and began winding down in February 2026 after its lead drug, FDY-5301, failed a Phase 3 cardiovascular study, missing both its primary and secondary endpoints.
- A spokesperson for Actimed confirmed to European Biotechnology that the return of the rights followed Faraday’s closure and was completed on terms the UK company considers favourable. Financial terms of the transaction are not being disclosed.
How it works: S-oxprenolol, also known as ACM-002, is an anabolic-catabolic transforming agent designed to act on several biological processes involved in muscle wasting. Actimed said the drug improved survival, body mass and functional measures in an animal model of ALS, but these findings have not yet been tested in patients. The US Food and Drug Administration granted S-oxprenolol orphan drug designation for ALS in August 2024.
Zoom out: S-oxprenolol remains Actimed’s second asset. Its more advanced programme, S-pindolol benzoate, has produced Phase 2a proof-of-concept data in cancer cachexia, a severe wasting syndrome characterized by unintentional weight loss, severe muscle wasting, and loss of fat mass, and is also being explored for preserving muscle during weight loss with GLP-1 drugs.
What’s next: Actimed said S-oxprenolol remains primarily focused on ALS. The company is also evaluating it in other muscle-wasting disorders but did not give details on those indications.
