Company Description
Biohaven Ltd is a global clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing, and commercializing treatments for neurological disorders, immunological conditions, and oncological diseases. The company was formed in October 2022 following Pfizer's acquisition of the original Biohaven Pharmaceutical Holding Company for $11.6 billion. In that transaction, Pfizer acquired the calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) business, including the migraine medications Nurtec ODT and zavegepant, while the remaining non-CGRP pipeline assets were spun off into the current publicly traded entity, Biohaven Ltd. The company launched with $258 million in cash, no debt, and a portfolio of 13 clinical and preclinical programs. Biohaven retains a royalty interest on the migraine drugs sold by Pfizer should they exceed $5.25 billion in annual U.S. sales.
Headquartered in New Haven, Connecticut, Biohaven operates at the intersection of neuroscience, immunology, and oncology with a mission to develop therapies that address significant unmet medical needs. The company's research and development efforts are built around several proprietary drug platforms, including Kv7 ion channel activators, glutamate modulators, myostatin inhibitors, and novel degrader technologies. These platforms are designed to offer mechanistic differentiation from existing treatments and potentially deliver improved efficacy and tolerability profiles for patients suffering from debilitating conditions.
Neuroscience Portfolio
Biohaven's neuroscience programs target conditions affecting millions of patients worldwide, including epilepsy, obsessive-compulsive disorder, spinocerebellar ataxia, and spinal muscular atrophy. The company's Kv7 platform centers on BHV-7000, a potent and selective activator of Kv7.2/7.3 potassium channels. This mechanism has been clinically validated as an approach to regulate neuronal hyperexcitability, which is a hallmark of epilepsy. Unlike other potassium channel activators, BHV-7000 has been designed to minimize GABA receptor activation, which may reduce common side effects such as somnolence, dizziness, and cognitive impairment that burden patients using conventional anti-seizure medications. Epilepsy affects approximately 3.5 million Americans and more than 50 million people worldwide, with approximately one-third of cases proving refractory to available therapies. The condition also carries the risk of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP), which affects more than one in 1,000 patients annually. BHV-7000 is being evaluated in multiple registrational Phase 2/3 trials for focal epilepsy, idiopathic generalized epilepsy, and major depressive disorder. Clinical data has demonstrated excellent tolerability across dose ranges without the central nervous system adverse effects typically associated with other anti-seizure medications.
Troriluzole is a novel glutamate modulator that functions by reducing excessive glutamatergic signaling, which has been implicated in various neurological and neuropsychiatric conditions. The compound has received Fast-Track designation, Orphan Drug designation from the FDA, and Orphan Drug Designation from the European Medicines Agency for the treatment of spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA), a rare degenerative disorder affecting motor coordination. Troriluzole is also being investigated for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), with data from two Phase 3 trials anticipated to inform the regulatory pathway for this indication. The molecule represents a mechanistically distinct approach to modulating the glutamate system, offering potential therapeutic value for conditions where dysregulated neurotransmission plays a pathological role.
Taldefgrobep alfa is an anti-myostatin antibody being developed for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and obesity. Myostatin is a naturally occurring protein that inhibits muscle growth, and blocking its activity may increase lean muscle mass while reducing total body and visceral adipose tissue. This dual effect on muscle and fat metabolism positions taldefgrobep alfa as a differentiated therapeutic option for conditions characterized by muscle wasting or metabolic dysfunction. In SMA, a genetic neuromuscular disorder that causes progressive muscle weakness, the ability to preserve or enhance muscle function could meaningfully improve patient outcomes. The obesity program explores the hypothesis that reducing adipose tissue while simultaneously increasing lean muscle mass may lead to improved insulin sensitivity and metabolic health. Biohaven is advancing both programs through clinical development, with regulatory engagement planned to define the registrational pathway for SMA and clinical trials in obesity.
Immunology Programs
Biohaven has developed proprietary degrader platforms that represent a paradigm shift in treating immune-mediated diseases. Traditional immunosuppressive therapies broadly inhibit immune function, which can leave patients vulnerable to infections and other complications. Biohaven's approach involves selectively targeting and degrading pathogenic antibodies while preserving the broader immune system, offering the potential for disease modification without systemic immunosuppression.
BHV-1300 is a small molecule IgG degrader rationally designed to leverage the body's natural hepatic clearance mechanisms to selectively remove IgG1, IgG2, and IgG4 antibodies, which are responsible for various autoimmune diseases. This molecule has demonstrated the ability to achieve rapid, deep, and sustained reductions in total IgG, with clinical data showing reductions of up to 87% within weeks of subcutaneous dosing. Importantly, BHV-1300 spares IgG3, IgA, IgE, and IgM, preserving the patient's ability to mount immune responses against bacteria, viruses, and parasites. The drug is being developed for Graves' disease, an autoimmune thyroid disorder affecting approximately 3 million people in the United States and 80 million globally, caused by IgG1 autoantibodies that overstimulate the thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor. BHV-1300 is also being explored for rheumatoid arthritis and myasthenia gravis, conditions similarly driven by pathogenic IgG antibodies. Clinical trials have demonstrated that the molecule is safe and well-tolerated at subcutaneous doses up to 2,000 mg, with no clinically significant elevations in liver enzymes or reductions in other immunoglobulin classes.
BHV-1400 is a first-in-class TRAP degrader designed to selectively target and remove galactose-deficient IgA1 (Gd-IgA1), the pathogenic antibody that drives IgA nephropathy (IgAN), a chronic kidney disease and one of the most common causes of glomerulonephritis worldwide. Phase 1 clinical data has shown that BHV-1400 achieves reductions of up to 81% in Gd-IgA1 within hours of a single subcutaneous dose, with effects persisting for weeks. Unlike immunosuppressive therapies such as BLyS/APRIL inhibitors or complement inhibitors, BHV-1400 selectively removes the disease-causing antibody while sparing IgA, IgG, IgE, and IgM, thereby maintaining the patient's immune defenses against pathogens. This precision immunology approach offers differentiation in both efficacy and safety, with potential to preserve kidney function and reduce proteinuria in patients with IgAN. Biohaven plans to initiate a pivotal trial using urine protein-creatinine ratio as a surrogate endpoint for accelerated regulatory approval. The molecule is also being explored for IgA vasculitis, another condition driven by Gd-IgA1.
Oncology Development
BHV-1510 is a next-generation antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) targeting Trop2, a protein frequently overexpressed in many solid tumors. The molecule incorporates a proprietary topoisomerase inhibitor payload (TopoIx) and a stable linker technology designed to maximize tumor cell killing while minimizing systemic toxicity. In a Phase 1 trial, BHV-1510 demonstrated encouraging anti-tumor activity both as monotherapy and in combination with cemiplimab, an anti-PD-1 antibody. The combination therapy achieved confirmed objective response rates of 52.2% across all evaluable patients, with particularly strong activity in endometrial cancer (100% response rate, including one complete response), non-small cell lung cancer (60%), and urothelial cancer (50%). Notably, the safety profile of BHV-1510 has been differentiated from other Trop2-targeted ADCs, with low rates of hematological toxicities, diarrhea, and no cases of interstitial lung disease, a serious complication associated with some ADC payloads. The main toxicity observed has been stomatitis, an expected on-target Trop2 class effect that has been manageable. The trial enrolled patients with advanced cancers who had received a median of two prior lines of therapy, including prior anti-PD-1/PD-L1 treatment, suggesting that BHV-1510 may retain activity in heavily pretreated populations. Many patients have remained on treatment for more than six months, potentially indicating durable responses.
Strategic Partnerships and Collaborations
Biohaven has established strategic partnerships to accelerate drug development and expand the reach of its therapeutic platforms. The company collaborates with academic institutions including Yale University and Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, as well as biopharmaceutical companies such as Merus N.V., GeneQuantum Healthcare (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., Aimed Bio, Inc., Bristol Myers Squibb, and Hangzhou Highlightll Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. These partnerships provide access to complementary technologies, expertise, and resources that enhance Biohaven's ability to advance its pipeline and bring new therapies to patients.
Clinical Development and Regulatory Strategy
Biohaven is advancing multiple clinical programs with the goal of achieving regulatory approvals and commercialization across its neuroscience, immunology, and oncology portfolios. The company has received several regulatory designations, including Fast-Track and Orphan Drug status for troriluzole in spinocerebellar ataxia, which may expedite the review process and provide incentives for development. The company's clinical strategy emphasizes the generation of robust efficacy and safety data through well-designed registrational trials that can support marketing applications in the United States and internationally. Biohaven is also pursuing regulatory engagement to define optimal development pathways for its novel degrader platforms, which represent mechanistically new approaches to treating immune-mediated and oncological diseases.
The company's drug development philosophy centers on addressing the root causes of disease through mechanistically differentiated therapies. By targeting specific pathways and disease drivers—such as neuronal hyperexcitability in epilepsy, pathogenic antibodies in autoimmune diseases, or tumor-associated antigens in cancer—Biohaven aims to deliver treatments that offer superior efficacy, tolerability, and durability compared to existing standards of care. This approach is supported by a disciplined focus on biomarker-driven development, which allows the company to demonstrate target engagement, dose optimization, and early proof of concept before advancing to pivotal trials.
Research and Development Infrastructure
Biohaven's research and development operations are supported by a team of scientists and clinicians with deep expertise in drug discovery, translational medicine, and clinical development. The company leverages both internal capabilities and external collaborations to advance its pipeline from preclinical research through late-stage clinical trials. The proprietary platforms that underpin Biohaven's pipeline—including Kv7 ion channel modulation, glutamate modulation, myostatin inhibition, and targeted protein degradation—are the result of rational drug design informed by mechanistic understanding of disease biology. This platform-based approach enables the company to generate multiple drug candidates with the potential to address diverse therapeutic areas while maintaining a coherent scientific and strategic focus.
Market Opportunity and Therapeutic Need
The conditions targeted by Biohaven's pipeline represent substantial unmet medical needs and large market opportunities. Epilepsy affects tens of millions of patients worldwide, many of whom experience inadequate seizure control or intolerable side effects with existing medications. Autoimmune diseases such as Graves' disease, rheumatoid arthritis, IgA nephropathy, and myasthenia gravis collectively impact millions of patients and often require chronic immunosuppressive therapy with associated risks. Cancer remains one of the most significant causes of morbidity and mortality globally, with ongoing demand for novel therapies that can overcome resistance to standard treatments and offer improved tolerability. Biohaven's focus on mechanistically distinct therapies positions the company to potentially capture value in these large and growing markets by offering differentiated treatment options that address limitations of current therapies.
Biohaven Ltd represents a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with a diversified pipeline targeting high unmet need areas in neuroscience, immunology, and oncology. The company's foundation in proprietary drug platforms, disciplined clinical development, and strategic collaborations provides a framework for advancing multiple assets toward regulatory approval and commercialization. Through its focus on mechanistic differentiation and patient-centric drug development, Biohaven seeks to deliver transformative therapies that improve outcomes for patients living with debilitating and life-threatening diseases.