Our history

Gesynta Pharma AB was founded in 2017 based on a unique combination of assets and skills:

• Access to potent and selective mPGES-1 inhibitors for pharmacological research and development
• Proprietary knowledge of novel aspects of biological/ medical effects caused by mPGES-1 inhibition leading to new indication opportunities
• A team with extensive experience in the fields of arachidonic acid pathways and mPGES-1 research, non-clinical and clinical drug development

In October 2017, the OX-MPI development program of potent and selective mPGES-1 inhibitors was acquired from Orexo AB. From its early days, Gesynta Pharma was supported by Karolinska Institutet Innovation AB, Novo Nordisk Foundation, Swelife, and VINNOVA – Sweden’s Innovation Agency. Gesynta Pharma’s first financing round completed in February 2018, providing capital to conduct preclinical development and manufacture material needed to support a first clinical study.

In March 2019, a late-stage drug discovery project was acquired from Acturum Real Estate AB, including several potent and selective mPGES-1 inhibitors originating from AstraZeneca. In October 2020, GS-073 was nominated as a new candidate compound (CD) from the program and full development towards a First-in-Human clinical phase I study started.

A financing round in April 2019 with a consortium consisting of venture capital investors Industrifonden and Linc, together with a group of private life sciences investors provided funds for early clinical development of the lead candidate vipoglanstat (GS-248) from the OX-MPI development program. A First-in-Human clinical phase I study was initiated in June 2019 and results from the successfully completed study were presented at the June 2020 EULAR e-congress.

In July 2020, Gesynta Pharma raised SEK 190 million in a financing round led by Hadean Ventures to accelerate development of its first-in-class mPGES-1 inhibitor vipoglanstat for Raynaud’s phenomenon associated with systemic sclerosis while continuing work on other indications, such as endometriosis. Topline results from the phase IIa study were announced in September 2022. Vipoglanstat was shown to be well tolerated, exhibited a favorable safety profile, and elicited a potent systemic inhibition of the target enzyme mPGES-1. However, no significant effects on vascular blood flow or Raynaud’s phenomenon could be demonstrated. For this reason, the company decided to focus the continued development of vipoglanstat on endometriosis.

Endometriosis is one of the key indications explored by Gesynta Pharma. A preclinical proof-of-concept study was initiated in 2021. In this advanced preclinical disease model of endometriosis, vipoglanstat demonstrated disease-modifying properties by significantly reducing pain as well as the number of endometrial lesions. These data, together with the previously demonstrated favorable clinical safety profile of vipoglanstat and the significant unmet medical need form the basis for the decision to initiate preparations for a phase II study in endometriosis. A patent application was submitted in September 2022 covering the use of vipoglanstat in endometriosis.

In 2023, Gesynta Pharma's second drug candidate was approved to enter clinical development. GS-073 will be developed for the treatment of chronic inflammatory pain, an area of significant medical need. The drug candidate is part of the portfolio of mPGES-1 inhibitors acquired in 2019, originating from AstraZeneca.

Our company mission

By combining deep insights in the mechanism of a unique target with long-standing drug development competence, we exploit the medical and commercial opportunities in our portfolio of anti-inflammatory drug candidates.

Our company vision

Improving the lives of patients by realizing the potential of a unique target

Our core values

Our four Core Values shape our company culture. They act as our guiding principle, ensuring we act and speak consistently across our business.