Staying ahead of the technology curve means strengthening your competitive advantage. That is why we give you data-driven innovation insights into the pharma industry. This time, you get to discover 5 hand-picked startups developing pulmonology drug solutions.
Global Startup Heat Map: 5 Top Pulmonology Drug Solutions
The 5 pharma startups you will explore below are chosen based on our data-driven startup scouting approach, taking into account factors such as location, founding year, and relevance of technology, among others. This analysis is based on the Big Data & Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered StartUs Insights Discovery Platform, covering over 1.3 million startups & scaleups globally.
The Global Startup Heat Map below highlights the 5 pharma startups & scaleups developing pulmonology drug solutions our Innovation Researchers curated for this report. Moreover, you get insights into regions that observe a high startup activity and the global geographic distribution of the 915 companies we analyzed for this specific topic.
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Kither Biotech – Cystic Fibrosis (CF)
There have been significant advances in drug development for pulmonary diseases, including chronic asthma, cystic fibrosis, lung cancer, and other rare pulmonary disorders such as pulmonary hypertension. Cystic fibrosis is a hereditary condition that manifests in children and causes frequent lung infections. Startups develop drugs that have a bronchodilation effect, helping patients manage pulmonary disorders.
Italian startup Kither Biotech is developing treatments for rare pulmonary diseases like cystic fibrosis. Kither’s proprietary chemical moieties modulate signal transduction events controlled by PI3K enzymes. The startup’s lead candidate KIT2014, a small peptide compound that acts as a bronchodilator and anti-inflammatory agent, is currently undergoing preclinical trials.
Synspira Therapeutics – Bronchiectasis
Patients suffering from bronchiectasis usually experience chronic cough with mucus as parts of the airways in the lungs get inflamed. A pneumonia diagnosis often hints at the possibility of bronchiectasis. Advanced therapeutic discoveries such as kinases and genetic mutations enable startups to develop novel therapeutics to treat bronchiectasis and other chronic pulmonary diseases.
The US-based startup Synspira Therapeutics develops novel therapeutics for progressive pulmonary diseases namely, bronchiectasis and cystic fibrosis. The startup’s lead candidate, SNSP113, is an inhalable non-absorbed glycopolymer. The drug offers rapid improvement in pulmonary infections and acts as a chronic treatment for progressive pulmonary diseases. The solution enables patients to manage pulmonary exacerbations, pulmonary function, and excess mucus clearance from bronchiectasis and cystic fibrosis.
ATXA Therapeutics – Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH)
Traditional pharmacological treatments for PAH tend to cause adverse side effects such as intravenous (IV) infections, mood swings, extreme pain, and gastrointestinal disorders, as well as pregnancy complications and fluid retention. The pharma industry is exploring novel mechanisms that have significantly lesser side effects while improving the life expectancy of patients diagnosed with PAH. Startups and scaleups develop innovative pharmacological solutions that target specific receptors in humans that cause PAH.
Irish startup ATXA develops small molecule drugs for the treatment of PAH. The startup’s lead candidate NTP42, a patented oral drug, targets the human thromboxane receptor. The drug improves the life expectancy of patients suffering from PAH. NTP42 has completed the preclinical phase and is undergoing clinical development.
Krystal Biotech – Gene Therapies
Chronic pulmonary conditions like CF and other rare lung disorders are easily manageable with the help of medication. However, gene therapy provides better treatment outcomes that enable the patient to live their lives without worrying about side effects. Startups and scaleups are developing various drug solutions for treating chronic CF.
The US-based startup Krystal Biotech develops KB407, a patented drug that is a replication-defective herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) gene therapy vector. This solution contains the human cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), for molecular correction of CF. Krystal Biotech expects to start clinical trials for KB407 in 2021.
BreStem Therapeutics – Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF)
There is no known cause for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. However, it is known that this condition is chronic and progressive in nature. The scarring of lung tissue intensifies over time and renders the patient requiring hospitalization and breathing support. Conventional treatment solutions for IPF help improve overall lung function. Novel therapeutics, on the other hand, focus on both improving lung function and delaying the disease progression.
The US-based startup BreStem Therapeutics develops a suite of drugs to tackle idiopathic lung diseases. With the help of lung spheroid cells, the startup develops both cellular and acellular treatment solutions for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. The startup’s pipeline includes drugs that utilize autologous lung spheroid cells, inhalable acellular drug candidates, and small molecule drugs at various stages of preclinical trials.
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