Germany’s Vasopharm raised $10.7 million as it plans to submit data for a clinical trial next year for its product that seeks to treat an issue with far-reaching social implications: traumatic brain injury.
Led by German PE firm HeidelbergCapital, the funding will help the company prepare for upcoming regulatory reviews of Ronopterin, which is in Phase III development for the treatment of moderately to severely injured closed head TBI patients. Vasopharm is recruiting patients for a 220-person trial of the treatment, which the company says is the most advanced human clinical trial for traumatic brain injury.
- Traumatic brain injury is the leading cause of death and disability for people under 45 in developed countries, the U.S. National Institutes of Health said. A 2015 U.S. Centers for Disease Control report blamed the injuries, mostly caused by vehicle accidents, suicides and falls, for far-reaching personal and social impacts.
- Vasopharm says its approach is unique. It says that harmful nitric oxide is produced in a brain hit by a sudden external force, and unlike previous drugs, Vasopharm’s product targets only the unwanted nitric oxide, and leaves beneficial nitric oxide untouched.
- Karma Take: Private investors are starting to weigh in as the acute needs of TBI patients are underserved by the public sector.
