Arisaph Pharmaceuticals

About Arisaph Pharmaceuticals

Arisaph Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing novel treatments for cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. Originally incorporated as Triad Pharmaceuticals in 1999, the company rebranded to Arisaph Pharmaceuticals in November 2005 to reflect its goal of creating best-in-class medicines. The company was founded by Dr. William Bachovchin, a Professor of Biochemistry at Tufts University School of Medicine; Christopher Kiritsy, former EVP of Corporate Development and CFO at Kos Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; and Michael Jaharis, the founder and former Chairman Emeritus of Kos Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

The company's strategy centers on rational drug design and the use of proprietary drug discovery platforms, including specificity profiling and retro-inversal chiral chemistry, to develop highly potent and selective medicines for validated biological targets. This approach is intended to mitigate the risks typically associated with developing new chemical entities for unvalidated targets. Arisaph's pipeline has included various preclinical and clinical development programs, such as DPP-IV inhibitors for type II diabetes, an orally active apo A-I mimetic peptide for atherosclerosis, tumor-activated prodrugs, and small molecule immune modulators for cancer.

Arisaph's business model involves leveraging its intellectual property through licensing agreements and royalty monetization to secure non-dilutive funding. The company holds exclusive worldwide rights to a significant patent portfolio from Tufts University, particularly in the diabetes field. This strategy has been successful, with the company raising over $60 million from non-dilutive sources, including grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and a significant royalty monetization transaction with Royalty Pharma. Arisaph has also secured venture capital funding to support its research and development activities. While some sources indicate the company may be inactive or 'deadpooled' as of the early 2020s, it has a history of significant preclinical development and strategic partnerships.