Tanomed AB

In the world of life sciences, the common cold remains a stubbornly unconquered foe. From Umeå, Sweden, a new contender emerged, born from research at Umeå University and nurtured within the Umeå Biotech Incubator. This was Tanomed AB, a company with a singular mission: to develop a new way to stop the common cold in its tracks. The founders, emerging from this academic and incubator environment, developed a unique nasal spray. The company’s core technology was a patented approach for preventing and relieving colds. Their products, Tango and Tango Nasal, used a combination of glucose and the enzyme glucose oxidase to counteract the rhinovirus, the primary pathogen behind the common cold. This strategy aimed to reinforce the body's own defenses. With a clear scientific foundation, Tanomed attracted backing from investors including Almi Invest and Partnerinvest Norr. The playbook here wasn't about building a global consumer brand from the ground up. It was about proving the science and finding the right strategic home for the technology. That moment arrived in the spring of 2015. Tanomed AB was acquired by Karo Healthcare, a larger Swedish healthcare company. The deal, valued at approximately $2.29 million, marked a successful exit for the early team and its investors and placed the promising cold-fighting patent into new hands for further development.