Acadia's prized pain drug from $52M buyout flops its first test

When Acadia Pharmaceuticals put down $52.5 million in cash to buy out CerSci Therapeutics – along with $887 million in biobucks – in 2020, CEO Steve Davis made clear that its non-opioid painkillers for acute and chronic pain, particularly the lead compound, ACP-044, was the star of the show. A Phase II study was being planned for the following year.