NeRRe Therapeutics

About NeRRe Therapeutics

NeRRe Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biotechnology company operating from the Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst in the UK. The company was established in 2012 as a spin-out from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). At its inception, GSK transferred its portfolio of neurokinin (NK) receptor antagonists, including all associated intellectual property and clinical data packages, to the new entity.

The company was co-founded by Dr. Mike Trower and Dr. Emiliangelo Ratti, both former senior leaders in neurosciences drug discovery at GSK with deep expertise in the neurokinin field. Dr. Trower, now the Chief Scientific Officer, championed the potential of NK antagonists for treating neuronal hypersensitivity disorders. Dr. Ratti served as the initial CEO. The current CEO is Dr. Mary Kerr, who joined in 2016 and brought extensive experience from her 20-year career at GSK, including roles in the executive team of ViiV Healthcare. Dr. Kerr was also the co-founder and CEO of KaNDy Therapeutics, a spin-out from NeRRe focused on women's health. KaNDy was successfully acquired by Bayer in 2020 for an upfront consideration of $425 million.

NeRRe's business model is centered on developing its pipeline of NK receptor antagonists to address conditions caused by neuronal hypersensitivity. The company's primary focus is on its lead asset, orvepitant, a potent and selective oral NK-1 receptor antagonist. This drug is being developed as a once-daily treatment for chronic cough, a debilitating condition with no currently approved treatments. Specifically, NeRRe is targeting chronic cough associated with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a rare and fatal lung disease where persistent coughing significantly impacts patients' quality of life. Following promising results in a Phase 2b study for refractory or unexplained chronic cough, which demonstrated improvements in patient-reported outcomes, the company is advancing orvepitant into further clinical trials for IPF-related cough.

The company secures funding through venture capital financing to advance its clinical development programs. NeRRe launched with an £11.5 million Series A round in 2012 from Advent Life Sciences and Novo A/S. It has since raised significant additional capital, including a £23 million Series B round in 2017 and a £20 million Series B2 round in 2021, attracting investors such as Fountain Healthcare Partners, Forbion, OrbiMed, and Columbus Venture Partners.