Funding worth €40 million granted to Biotech spin-offs in the UK to develop treatments for Narcolepsy
New Companies Aim to Revolutionize Narcolepsy Treatment with Orexin Receptor Agonists
Two new virtual biopharmaceutical companies, Orexia and Inexia, have been spun out of Sosei Heptares and are set to focus on developing oral therapies for neurological diseases such as narcolepsy. The companies will be based in London and will operate virtually.
Medicxi Ventures is investing €40M in Orexia and Inexia, funding their development until proof of concept in humans. Much of the work for the companies will be outsourced to Heptares, a UK-based company specializing in the development of drugs against difficult-to-target molecules known as G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs).
Orexia and Inexia will develop drugs that activate two molecules called OX1 and OX2, which are receptors of orexin, a protein that regulates arousal, wakefulness, and sleep. Current drugs targeting orexin, such as Merck's suvorexant, treat disorders like insomnia by blocking orexin. However, these drugs only provide symptomatic relief, and new treatments that can replace lost orexin signaling are needed.
Type 1 narcolepsy patients have reduced orexin levels, providing a direct link between orexin activation and narcolepsy. Orexia and Inexia aim to develop drugs that can activate both OX1 and OX2 targets simultaneously, potentially offering a more effective treatment for narcolepsy.
Inexia will work on intranasal delivery of the drugs through a collaboration with the US pharmaceutical Optinose. Meanwhile, Orexia will focus on oral therapies.
The development of orexin receptor agonists is a promising area of research in the treatment of narcolepsy. Companies like Alkermes and Takeda are currently leading the way with their drugs, alixorexton and oveporexton, respectively. Alkermes recently reported positive Phase 2 results for alixorexton, demonstrating significant improvements in narcolepsy type 1 symptoms, including excessive daytime sleepiness and cataplexy, with good tolerability. Takeda's oveporexton has shown positive outcomes in two Phase 3 studies in narcolepsy type 1.
Jazz Pharma's Xyrem, approved for narcolepsy with cataplexy, generates over $1B in sales despite having a black box warning and abuse potential. The success of Xyrem highlights the need for new, more effective treatments for narcolepsy.
As of mid-2025, no verified information is available from recent clinical development sources or industry news about Orexia and Inexia specifically. However, the forefront of narcolepsy treatment innovation focuses on orexin receptor agonists, and the developments made by Alkermes and Takeda are a testament to the potential of this approach. If successful, the drugs developed by Orexia and Inexia could improve the currently available treatments for narcolepsy, offering new solutions where they are desperately needed.
Investors, such as Medicxi Ventures, are showing their interest in the health-and-wellness sector by pouring €40M into biotech companies, Orexia and Inexia, with the mission to revolutionize narcolepsy treatment. These new companies' operations, based in London, primarily focus on finance, specifically investing in the development of science-based mental-health therapies that target the orexin system, activating the OX1 and OX2 receptors. With promising research in the biotech and pharmaceutical industry, particularly from competitors like Alkermes and Takeda, Orexia and Inexia aim to secure a venturing capital opportunity for their advancements in health-and-wellness, ultimately reshaping the treatment landscape for mental-health conditions like narcolepsy.
