Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited and neurotechnology firm Beacon Biosignals have extended their partnership into a multi‑year agreement aimed at speeding the diagnosis of narcolepsy type 1 (NT1). The deal builds on a 2024 collaboration that began when the two companies first joined forces to explore biomarker discovery for the rare sleep disorder.
Under the new terms, Beacon is eligible for up to $109 million in data‑license fees and milestone payments that could include equity participation. Takeda will gain access to Beacon’s real‑world clinical database, which contains longitudinal sleep data collected through the FDA‑cleared Waveband™ at‑home EEG headband. The platform’s AI algorithms are designed to identify objective biomarkers that can shorten the diagnostic journey for patients who currently face years of misdiagnosis.
Beacon’s technology leverages machine learning to analyze EEG, actigraphy, and self‑reported sleep metrics, producing automated sleep staging and detecting subtle patterns associated with orexin deficiency. By integrating this data with Takeda’s clinical expertise, the partnership seeks to validate new biomarkers that could be incorporated into diagnostic criteria and inform the design of future clinical trials.
The collaboration began in 2024 and has been reinforced by Beacon’s recent $86 million Series B round in November 2025, which brought the company’s total funding to over $121 million. Takeda was an investor in that round, underscoring its commitment to the technology. The expanded agreement also dovetails with Takeda’s own narcolepsy pipeline, notably the orexin agonist oveporexton (TAK‑861), which has shown promising Phase 3 results and could benefit from the accelerated biomarker discovery enabled by Beacon’s platform.
By addressing the unmet need for rapid, accurate narcolepsy diagnosis, the partnership positions Takeda to accelerate the development of next‑generation therapies and to strengthen its leadership in orexin science. The collaboration also expands Beacon’s market reach and provides a potential revenue stream through milestone payments and data licensing, creating a mutually beneficial relationship that could reshape the narcolepsy treatment landscape.
Takeda’s CEO is Christophe Weber; Dr. Tom Koutsavlis serves as the company’s Senior Vice President for U.S. Medical Affairs.
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