Start-Up Previews (10/2007)
Executive Summary
A preview of the emerging health care companies profiled in the current issue of Start-Up. This month's profile group, "Cardiovascular Drug Start-Ups," features profiles of AcelleRX Therapeutics, BioVascular, Nile Therapeutics and VIA Pharmaceuticals. Plus these Start-Ups Across Health Care: JenaValve, Moberg Derma, ProtAffin, and Virtual Ports.
You may also be interested in...
Nile Therapeutics Inc.
For patients with acute decompensated heart failure, Nile Therapeutics is developing a drug related to known natriuretic peptides, which addresses three important mechanisms. CD-NP shows promise in fluid unloading, but without the side effect of low blood pressure that often accompanies other medications; it as the potential to reduce filling pressure; and it may also preserve, or possibly enhance, renal function.
Moberg Derma AB
Swedish dermatology specialty pharma Moberg Derma AB is using its Kaprolac platform to build a portfolio of non-steroidal, topical treatments that it thinks will have improved therapeutic outcomes and mitigated side-effect profiles. Kaprolac is a combination of several well-known, safe dermatological compounds that have given rise to a potential 10 new treatments in Moberg Derma's pipeline.
Via Pharmaceuticals Inc.
There's a lot of excitement around the new insights that vulnerable plaque, a certain kind of inflammatory plaque, is the culprit in myocardial infarction, but so far, no one has figured out how to treat it. Thomas Quertermous of Stanford has identified inflammatory pathways that contribute to atherosclerosis and Via Pharmaceuticals was formed to develop a drug, already tested extensively in humans, that emanated from his research program.