Can reformulation of an AstraZeneca castoff rival Takeda's new heartburn drug? Here's a $26M bet on yes
Linaprazan didn’t make much of a mark at AstraZeneca. Despite showing promise in early-stage studies, the potassium competitive acid blocker, or PCA-B, failed to beat Nexium, the pharma giant’s blockbuster proton pump inhibitor in treating acid reflux. The drug was then unceremoniously purged from the pipeline.
As the preclinical project leader in Mölndal, Sweden, Kjell Andersson witnessed the rise and fall of linaprazan. Having helped develop Nexium, he also knew that about 40% of patients still suffer from symptoms, including heartburn and chest pain, even if they’re on treatment. So together with colleagues Mikael Dahlström and Peter Unge, he purchased rights to prodrugs of linaprazan and launched his own startup.
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