Trigemina

About Trigemina

Trigemina, Inc. was a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company founded in 2006 by David Yeomans, an Associate Professor and the Director of Pain Research at Stanford University's School of Medicine. The company focused on developing non-narcotic, nasally delivered analgesic drugs to treat chronic pain, particularly migraine and other forms of severe head pain. The core of its technology was a novel, non-invasive intranasal delivery method, pioneered by co-founder William Frey, designed to bypass the blood-brain barrier and transport therapeutic agents directly to the central nervous system along trigeminal neural pathways. David Yeomans' brother, Charles Yeomans, later joined as CEO to secure funding and guide the company's clinical development.

The company's lead product candidate was TI-001, a proprietary intranasal formulation of oxytocin, a naturally occurring hormone. This product was engineered to target and bind to oxytocin receptors on trigeminal neurons, which become upregulated during painful inflammation, thereby blocking pain signals. This targeted approach was designed to provide pain relief without the systemic side effects associated with opioids or other analgesics. Trigemina conducted several Phase II clinical trials for TI-001 in the U.S., Chile, and Australia to evaluate its efficacy and safety in treating chronic migraine. Over its active years, the company raised approximately $5.2 million in funding through various rounds, with notable investors including Aurus and a grant from the Chilean government's CORFO agency.

In June 2020, Tonix Pharmaceuticals Holding Corp. announced it had acquired Trigemina's assets, including the technology for intranasal oxytocin, which was subsequently renamed TNX-1900. This acquisition moved the development of the non-addictive migraine treatment program under Tonix's portfolio, while Trigemina ceased operations.