Nefopam Hydrochloride

Maxion Therapeutics has secured $72 million in an oversubscribed Series A raise, with Eli Lilly pitching in, to advance its pipeline of antibody-based candidates. The proceeds should give Maxion enough runway through the end of 2028, CEO Arndt Schottelius told Endpoints News in an interview. The Cambridge, UK-based biotech will use the cash in part to progress its lead program through clinical proof of concept, with an IND targeted for 2026. That candidate, dubbed MAX001, is in preclinical development for a range of inflammatory diseases, including atopic dermatitis. It targets a voltage-gated potassium channel called Kv1.3, which the company says plays a key role in T cell proliferation as well as cytokine production and migration. Maxion also has two other preclinical programs for chronic pain and cardiovascular disease. The company’s drugs are designed using its so-called KnotBody platform. The platform fuses the gene sequence of certain miniproteins called “knottins” into a particular binding region of an antibody. Schottelius said knottins are natural modulators of ion channels but have a very short half-life and are often not selective, meaning they don’t tend to make good therapeutics in and of themselves. The candidates produced by the KnotBody platform can target ion channels and G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), which have traditionally been challenging to drug with antibodies, the company said. There are no approved antibodies or any in clinical development that target ion channels, Schottelius added, noting there are only a few approved antibodies that target GPCRs. These are Novartis and Amgen’s migraine prevention drug Aimovig and Kyowa Kirin’s Poteligeo for certain types of T cell lymphoma. Despite fielding unsolicited interest from unnamed large pharma companies for its lead program, Schottelius said Maxion wants to take MAX001 into the clinic by itself. “We want to keep the powder dry [for now],” he added. The company will be open to partnering once its lead program reaches clinical proof of concept and is also open to having the same talks for its other preclinical candidates at earlier value inflection points, Schottelius said. The Series A fundraise was led by General Catalyst, with support from new investors British Patient Capital, Solasta Ventures and Eli Lilly, as well as existing investors LifeArc Ventures, Monograph Capital and BGF. Maxion previously raised $16 million in seed funding at the start of 2023. Editor’s Note: This story was updated to include the full list of investors.

MAX-001 is a Non-Opioid, Non-NSAID Oral Therapy in Development for Treatment of Acute and Chronic Pain MALVERN, Pa., Feb. 25, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- MAXONA Pharmaceuticals today announced the United States Patents and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued Patent No. 12,226,421 for MAX-001, the company's first to market product which is a non-opioid, non-NSAID oral therapy for the treatment of acute and chronic pain. With the issuance of this patent, Maxona Pharmaceuticals now holds a total of five Method of Use and Composition of Matter patents that cover research and uses of nefopam, the active ingredient in MAX-001. "As a company, one of our priorities has been to develop a strong intellectual property position for MAX-001," said Shawn Fatholahi, president and CEO of Maxona Pharmaceuticals, and the named inventor on the patents. "The addition of this new patent further strengthens our intellectual property portfolio. It also underscores our commitment to fully exploring and leveraging the potential of MAX-001 for its initial indications to treat acute and chronic pain as well as other indications in the future. As we continue to advance our development program for MAX-001, we will seek additional patents related to specific areas of use and optimal formulation of the product by leveraging the company's formulation technology and expertise." Over the past few years, Maxona Pharmaceuticals has built a world-class management team that has unique experience in all aspects of drug development and commercialization to capitalize on opportunities to bring new therapies such as MAX-001 to the U.S. market. After completion of an extensive formulation optimization process and comprehensive IND-enabling pre-clinical studies, Maxona Pharmaceuticals completed the MAX-001 Phase 1 clinical program earlier this year. The compound will enter Phase 2 clinical trials later this year. About MAX-001 MAX-001 is an optimized formulation of nefopam hydrochloride which is a non-opioid, non-NSAID solid oral therapy being developed as a New Molecular Entity (NME) intended for the treatment of acute and chronic pain in the United States. MAX-001 is designed specifically to deliver both a rapid onset and extended duration of analgesia exerting its effect primarily through a novel mechanism of action as a triple neurotransmitter re-uptake inhibitor with the order of strength being significantly greater for norepinephrine than serotonin, and dopamine respectively (N > S > D). When approved for use, MAX-001 will be the only triple monoamine re-uptake inhibitor with an indication for the treatment of acute pain in the United States. About MAXONA Pharmaceuticals MAXONA Pharmaceuticals, headquartered in Malvern, PA, is a privately held clinical-stage pharmaceutical company committed to developing the next generation of therapies to help patients maximize life. The company is distinguished by its strong and diversified leadership team with expertise in neuroscience, drug development, drug formulation and delivery technology, clinical trial design and pharmacology to develop patient-centric therapies that are safe, efficacious, clinically proven and trusted by physicians and their patients. The company's initial focus is on advancing MAX-001 as a safe and highly effective non-opioid option for the treatment of acute and chronic pain. For more information, please visit . Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward Looking Statements This release may contain "forward-looking statements". Forward-looking statements are identified by certain words or phrases such as "may", "will", "aim", "will likely result", "believe", "expect", "will continue", "anticipate", "estimate", "intend", "plan", "contemplate", "seek to", "future", "objective", "goal", "project", "should", "will pursue" and similar expressions or variations of such expressions. These forward-looking statements reflect the company's current expectations about its future plans and performance. These forward-looking statements rely on a number of assumptions and estimates which could be inaccurate and which are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual results could vary materially from those anticipated or expressed in any forward-looking statement made by the company. The company disclaims any obligation or intent to update the forward-looking statements in order to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release. SOURCE Maxona Pharmaceuticals WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM? 440k+ Newsrooms & Influencers 9k+ Digital Media Outlets 270k+ Journalists Opted In GET STARTED