Newron's Merck KGaA-in licensed compound fails Rett Syndrome study, shares wilt

Mutations in a gene called MECP2 were identified as the cause of Rett Syndrome in 1999 inside a laboratory at the Baylor College of Medicine — the same year, Italian drug developer Newron Pharmaceuticals was born. On Monday, the company’s experimental drug, sarizotan, failed a Phase II/III study in patients with the severe neurodevelopmental disorder that has no approved therapies.