Herantis H2'24 flash comment: Trial progress and figures were as expected

Translation: Original published in Finnish on 3/6/2025 at 8:35 am EET.

Herantis' H2'24 operating result was -2.27 MEUR, in line with our expectations. The company initiated a Phase Ib clinical trial in Parkinson's disease with HER-096 during the reporting period. Key results should be ready by Q3'25. The current funding should be sufficient to complete Phase Ib, prepare for Phase II and advance partnering negotiations. The webcast starting at 2:30 pm (EET) can be viewed here.

Phase I Parkinson's disease trial matures this year

In late 2023, Herantis completed a Phase Ia study showing that HER-096, an investigational drug in development for Parkinson's disease, crosses the blood-brain barrier. This means that HER-096 is reaching its intended target in the central nervous system. There were also no tolerability concerns, which helped reduce the risk associated with development and paved the way for further development of the candidate. In H2'24, a Phase Ib trial was initiated with the primary objective of evaluating the safety and tolerability of subcutaneously administered HER-096 in healthy volunteers and Parkinson's disease patients. At the end of January, Herantis announced that the trial had progressed to the first patient with Parkinson's disease. The trial is on schedule and is expected to be completed in Q3'24.

Current funding sufficient to prepare for Phase II

As far as funding is concerned, Herantis received 3.6 MEUR research funding last summer to ensure the implementation of Phase Ib. The company also announced a directed issue of 5.2 MEUR in February, which was almost fully in line with our expectations. With the funding secured, the company will prepare for the Phase II trial and advance partnering negotiations to fund future trials.