Anthera Pharmaceuticals

About Anthera Pharmaceuticals

Anthera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. operated as a biopharmaceutical firm, concentrating on the development and commercialization of treatments for serious diseases. The company was founded by Paul F. Truex on September 9, 2004, and went public with an initial public offering in 2010. Paul F. Truex, a seasoned executive in the life sciences industry, founded Anthera after leading Peninsula Pharmaceuticals to a successful acquisition by Johnson & Johnson. His career began at Eli Lilly and Company and includes involvement in numerous biotech financings and strategic transactions. Co-founder Christopher Henney is a notable immunologist and biotechnology entrepreneur who also co-founded Immunex and Icos Corporation.

The company's business model was centered on in-licensing and developing clinical-stage drug candidates to address unmet medical needs in specialized physician segments like nephrology and cystic fibrosis specialists. Anthera's revenue was intended to be generated from the sale of its approved products. The company focused on developing a portfolio of product candidates for inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Its two main drug candidates were Sollpura (liprotamase) and blisibimod.

Sollpura, an investigational pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy, was acquired from Eli Lilly and Company in July 2014. It was developed for patients with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI), often associated with cystic fibrosis. Sollpura was designed as a non-porcine therapy using biotechnology-derived enzymes. However, in March 2018, the company announced that the Phase 3 clinical trial for Sollpura, known as the RESULT study, failed to meet its primary endpoint, leading to the suspension of its clinical development. The other key product, blisibimod, is a peptibody antagonist of B-cell activating factor (BAFF) intended for autoimmune diseases like IgA nephropathy. BAFF is a factor that is often up-regulated in autoimmune conditions. Blisibimod underwent Phase 2 and 3 trials to evaluate its efficacy. Following the failure of Sollpura's trial and an inability to meet Nasdaq's listing requirements, Anthera Pharmaceuticals announced in June 2018 that it was delisting from the Nasdaq stock market and commencing a wind-down of its operations.