Ophirex is a public benefit corporation based in Corte Madera, Calif., developing varespladib as an easy‑to‑use oral, broad‑spectrum treatment for snakebite envenoming. Varespladib inhibits secreted phospholipase A2 (sPLA2), a toxin component present in at least 95% of snake venoms, and has an established safety profile from earlier development by Eli Lilly and Shionogi. The company is positioning the oral formulation for immediate administration after bites and for both human and veterinary use. The FDA granted Fast Track designation to varespladib in 2022. Ophirex recently reached full enrollment of its BRAVO study, with sites in the United States and India, and expects to announce topline BRAVO data in mid‑2023. The company is advancing regulatory submission and launch planning while engaging commercialization, distribution, and global access partners and has strengthened its board during the Series B. Ophirex is developing varespladib as a first-in-class, toxin-targeting antidote for snakebite that inhibits sPLA2, a prevalent toxic component present in at least 95% of snake venoms. The company aims to provide an orally administered treatment for immediate, out-of-hospital use as well as an intravenous formulation for medical settings. In preclinical studies varespladib has shown potential activity against sPLA2 across a broad spectrum of geographically diverse snake species. Ophirex says the drug could mitigate many of the most common, immediately life-threatening effects of envenoming and fill a crucial gap before victims can access antivenom. The company is organized as a public benefit corporation and was founded via the work of Matthew Lewin, MD, PhD, with support from Jerry Harrison; Nancy J. Koch is CEO.

Total raised

$40M

Funding rounds

2

Latest round

Series B

Latest activity

Jan 2023