Participated · Series C · Nov 2024

Wellpartner provides pharmacy fulfillment, pharmacy administration and professional services with particular expertise in the Public Health Service 340B drug discount program. The company is the largest provider of 340B contract pharmacy services in the U.S., operating in a market with over $3.5 billion in annual drug sales. Its core product set targets commercial and Medicaid health plans as well as health care safety‑net providers to expand access to lower‑cost medications for underserved patients. Management says the company is establishing a leadership position with transparent, cost‑based drug fulfillment programs. The recent financing is intended to fund working capital and support strategic growth initiatives to broaden product and service offerings nationwide. Wellpartner positions itself to help expand prescription drug coverage for Americans who lack adequate access to health insurance.

Participated · Series C · Aug 2012

Relypsa is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company developing non-absorbed polymeric drugs; its lead candidate is patiromer (RLY5016), a high-capacity oral potassium binder for treatment of hyperkalemia. The company is advancing patiromer through late-stage development and commercial planning and uses a proprietary polymer platform to pursue additional product candidates. Relypsa announced an $80 million Series C preferred stock financing to fund late-stage development, submission of a new drug application (NDA), and commercial planning for patiromer. The company plans to initiate Phase 3 pivotal clinical trials of patiromer this year. Earlier clinical work includes data generated to date in nearly 500 patients and an ongoing Phase 2b AMETHYST-DN study that completed enrollment of 306 subjects at approximately 50 sites in May 2012, which includes an 8-week efficacy period followed by a 44-week extension for long-term safety and tolerability. Relypsa is based in Santa Clara, Calif. Relypsa is developing non-absorbed polymeric drugs with a lead compound, RLY5016, a high-capacity oral potassium binder for chronic and acute management of hyperkalemia. RLY5016 is being developed for patients with renal impairment, hypertension, diabetes and heart failure. The company has completed several clinical trials, including the PEARL-HF Phase 2 randomized, placebo-controlled study in heart failure patients. A multi-center, open-label titration study is currently underway to inform pivotal study design. Relypsa plans to use recent financing to advance RLY5016 through pivotal clinical studies. Gerrit Klaerner, Ph.D., is President of the company. Relypsa is developing a lead drug candidate to treat hyperkalemia, a dangerous elevation of potassium that can cause arrhythmia and impaired kidney function. The company is in phase-two clinical trials for that candidate and says the additional capital will be used to complete those trials. Relypsa predicts the phase will close by the end of 2009 and already plans to raise new funds in 2010. The company is based in Santa Clara and was spun out from Ilypsa after Ilypsa was acquired by Amgen in July 2007. Many of Relypsa’s current investors previously backed Ilypsa. The article does not report revenue or user metrics.

Participated · Series C · Jun 2010

Tetraphase Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company based in Watertown, MA that uses a synthetic chemistry technology to discover and develop novel antibiotics. Its lead product candidate, TP-434, is a broad-spectrum IV antibiotic with potential superior potency against Gram-negative pathogens and was anticipated to enter Phase 2 clinical studies in 2010. The company also plans to advance two additional IV/oral candidates: TP-2758 for complicated urinary tract infections (cUTI) and TP-834 for community-acquired bacterial pneumonia (CABP). Tetraphase raised $45M in a Series C to fund progression of its pipeline into Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical studies. The financing will be used specifically to advance its novel antibiotic candidates into the clinic to address drug-resistant Gram-negative infections. As part of the financing, Dr. Gullans of Excel Venture Management will join Tetraphase's board of directors. Tetraphase Pharmaceuticals develops novel antibiotics targeting drug-resistant infections and commercializes a synthetic chemistry platform developed by Dr. Andrew Myers of Harvard. The company was founded in 2006 and is based in Watertown, MA. Its pipeline includes several novel and potent antibiotic drug candidates discovered using its synthetic chemistry platform. The recent financing is intended to support advancement of those candidates toward further development. Tetraphase closed the first tranche of a $25M Series B to fund these efforts. The company has enlisted its existing investors to participate in the tranche to continue progressing its program.

Participated · Series E · Jan 2010

ImpactRx provides an intelligence database that tracks pharmaceutical promotional initiatives in real time and measures their effectiveness for clients. The company is based in Mount Laurel, New Jersey. It completed a $1.2m Series E financing, with the first tranche of $678,040 closed on December 23, 2009. Management said the additional funding, together with internally generated free cash flow, will be used to expedite product development and infrastructure improvements. ImpactRx also plans to upgrade its modeling capabilities. The company stated it is investing to accelerate its ability to deliver more value to clients.