Noema Pharma AG, a Basel, Switzerland-based clinical-stage company targeting orphan neurological disorders, raised a Series A financing round, raising CHF54m ($59m USD).
The round was co-led by Sofinnova Partners and Polaris Partners with participation from new international investors Gilde Healthcare, Invus and BioMed Partners. Roche, the Swiss multinational healthcare company, received a shareholding in Noema in exchange for rights to four clinical-stage product-candidates. In conjunction with the funding, Darren Carroll of Polaris Partners and Arthur Franken of Gilde Healthcare joined Antoine Papiernik of Sofinnova Partners on the Board of Directors.
The company intends to use the funds to further develop its clinical-stage pipeline. The product candidates will be developed in neurological indications with severe unmet need, such as seizures in tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC), trigeminal neuralgia, Tourette syndrome and other rare neurological disorders.
Led by Luigi Costa, Chief Executive Officer, and George Garibaldi, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Noema Pharma is a company targeting orphan neurological disorders characterized by imbalanced neuronal networks. The company is developing four mid-clinical-stage therapeutic products in-licensed from Roche and with strong safety packages. Lead product NOE-101, an mGluR5 inhibitor, is Phase 2b-ready for two indications: persistent seizures in Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC) and severe pain in Trigeminal Neuralgia (TN). NOE-105, a PDE10A inhibitor, is in preparation for Phase 2b testing to treat Tourette Syndrome. The company is undertaking validation studies in undisclosed indications for two additional clinical-stage assets, NOE-109, an mGluR2/3 inhibitor, and NOE-115, a triple re-uptake inhibitor.
FinSMEs
20/12/2020