Xenon Achieves Genentech Milestone

Xenon Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, has achieved a milestone in its pain genetics discovery collaboration with Genentech, triggering an undisclosed milestone payment. The companies have successfully discovered and identified a novel pain target leveraging Xenon’s Extreme Genetics platform based on the study of rare phenotypes of individuals who have either an inability to perceive pain or have spontaneous severe pain.

“We are proud of our progress in our discovery collaboration with Genentech, which underscores the potential of our Extreme Genetics discovery platform and our ability to identify novel targets and pathways that may play a causal role in the sensation of pain,” said Dr. Simon Pimstone, president and chief executive officer of Xenon. “There is a critical need for non-opioid alternatives for patients with chronic pain. We look forward to working further with Genentech to discover additional targets that could yield novel therapeutics.”