Tioga Pharmaceuticals
Kappa-opioid receptor agonist for pruritus and gastrointestinal diseases.
| Date | Investors | Amount | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| N/A | €0.0 | round | |
| N/A | €0.0 | round | |
| N/A | €0.0 | round | |
| investor investor investor investor | €0.0 | round | |
$10.0m | Series B | ||
| Total Funding | 000k | ||
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Tioga Pharmaceuticals, Inc. was a privately held, venture-capital-backed biopharmaceutical company focused on developing therapeutics for gastrointestinal diseases and pruritus (itching). Founded in 2005 and headquartered in San Diego, CA, the company's primary drug candidate was asimadoline. Dr. Stuart Collinson, a partner at life science venture capital firm Forward Ventures, founded the company and served as its Executive Chairman. Collinson had previously been the CEO of Aurora Biosciences, which was acquired by Vertex Pharmaceuticals.
Asimadoline is an orally administered, highly selective kappa-opioid receptor agonist. Its selectivity was intended to provide therapeutic effects without the side effects associated with mu-opioid receptors. The company's development efforts centered on two main indications for asimadoline: diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (D-IBS) and pruritus associated with conditions like atopic dermatitis. In 2011, the FDA granted Fast Track designation to asimadoline for the treatment of D-IBS. The company advanced the drug into Phase 3 clinical trials for this indication. Later, in 2015, Tioga initiated a Phase 2 proof-of-concept study for asimadoline in treating pruritus associated with atopic dermatitis.
Tioga Pharmaceuticals established licensing agreements to expand its reach. It granted Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. exclusive rights to develop and commercialize asimadoline in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. The company secured funding through multiple rounds, including a Series A round of $42 million and a Series B round of $10 million in 2012, bringing its total investor funding to $52 million. Key investors included Forward Ventures, Thomas, McNerney & Partners, and Innovate UK.
Keywords: asimadoline, kappa-opioid receptor agonist, pruritus, itching, atopic dermatitis, diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome, D-IBS, gastrointestinal diseases, clinical-stage, biopharmaceutical, Stuart Collinson, Forward Ventures, Ono Pharmaceutical, drug discovery, pharmaceuticals