Starton Therapeutics

About Starton Therapeutics

Starton Therapeutics, founded in 2017 and formerly known as ChemioCare, is a clinical-stage biotechnology company engineering new drug delivery systems for approved cancer therapies. The company's strategic focus is to enhance the efficacy and tolerability of established treatments, thereby improving the quality of life for patients with hematologic cancers like multiple myeloma (MM) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

The company was co-founded by its Chairman and CEO, Pedro Lichtinger. His extensive 37-year career in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology sectors, including senior leadership roles at Pfizer as President of Global Primary Care and President of Europe, has shaped Starton's vision. Lichtinger, who holds an MBA from the Wharton School of Business and an engineering degree from the National University of Mexico, was personally motivated to improve cancer care after his brother was diagnosed with the disease.

Starton's core business revolves around its proprietary continuous delivery technology platform, which includes subcutaneous, transdermal, and on-body injector systems. This platform aims to maintain steady, therapeutic blood levels of a drug over 24 hours, avoiding the peaks and troughs associated with conventional oral dosing. By reformulating approved drugs, Starton follows a business model that is designed to be lower-risk and less capital-intensive than developing new molecular entities from scratch. Its lead product candidate, STAR-LLD, is a continuous subcutaneous delivery formulation of lenalidomide, the active ingredient in Revlimid. In preclinical studies, STAR-LLD demonstrated superior tumor reduction compared to pulsatile (once-daily) dosing. A Phase 1b clinical trial in multiple myeloma patients showed meaningful efficacy and improved tolerability, with no significant drug-related hematologic toxicities observed. The company has advanced STAR-LLD to a Phase 2a clinical trial, which began enrolling patients in June 2025.

The company develops its transdermal delivery technologies, STARSILON and STARTICLES, at its facility in Paramus, New Jersey. STARSILON is a drug-in-adhesive platform designed to improve the solubility and permeability of active pharmaceutical ingredients, while STARTICLES uses solid-state particulates to enhance permeation rates through the skin. To advance its manufacturing and development, Starton has entered into strategic collaborations, including a partnership with Bend Bioscience.