
Trophos
Roche - Roche acquires Trophos to expand portfolio in neuromuscular disease with high medical need.
Date | Investors | Amount | Round |
---|---|---|---|
- | investor | €0.0 | round |
investor investor investor investor | €0.0 | round | |
$546m Valuation: $546m | Acquisition | ||
Total Funding | 000k |





In 1999, in Marseille, France, a team of three scientists—Christopher Henderson, Olivier Pourquie, and Jean-Louis Kraus—joined with two entrepreneurs, Antoine Beret and Michel Delaage, to start Trophos. The company's goal was to discover and develop treatments for neurodegenerative disorders. Their focus landed on creating novel compounds, leading to the development of their lead candidate, olesoxime. Trophos targeted severe orphan diseases, particularly spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a debilitating genetic condition that affects children. After years of research, their compound olesoxime showed promising results in a Phase II clinical trial, demonstrating a beneficial effect on maintaining neuromuscular function in certain SMA patients. This was a significant step for a disease that, at the time, had no effective treatment and only offered supportive care. A major turning point for the company came in 2011, when a potential acquisition by Actelion fell through after olesoxime failed a late-stage trial for a different disease, ALS. Despite this setback, the team persevered, focusing on the drug's potential for SMA. This resilience paid off when, in January 2015, the global healthcare giant Roche announced it would acquire Trophos. The deal included an upfront payment of 120 million euros, with up to an additional 350 million euros based on reaching specific milestones, bringing the total potential value to 470 million euros.