Vedana Therapeutics Launches as Developer of Next-Gen Migraine Therapies

Editor’s Take: First-generation migraine therapies were a step forward, but many patients are still not well controlled.

Vedana Therapeutics has launched as a new biotechnology company committed to developing next-generation therapies for migraine prevention.

Funding for Vedana Launch

Series A financing totaling $46 million had co-leaders Westlake BioPartners and Canaan Partners. Dawn Biopharma and Alexandria Venture Investments also participated. Proceeds from this financing will help advance Vedana’s portfolio of internally discovered and potentially best-in-class subcutaneous antibody delivery pathways.

Members of Vedana’s executive team, board, and advisors helped discover the therapies developed to date. Such therapies include approved calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) antibodies and the emerging pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) drug class.

Migraine Treatments Exceeding First Generation

Approval of multiple CGRP medicines signaled specialized migraine therapies’ first generation, according to Vedana Co-Founder and CEO Anurag Agarwal, PhD. However, Vedana says two-thirds of migraine patients are still unable to achieve optimal control of the condition.

PACAP has since emerged as a complementary approach. Vedana’s lead program is a next-generation anti-PACAP antibody; a second program targets both PACAP and CGRP. This can potentially provide additional efficacy for patients for whom monotherapy does not deliver relief.

“First-generation CGRP therapies were a major step forward, but most patients are still not adequately controlled,” Agarwal said. “[We’re] focused on what comes next—targeting biology beyond CGRP, like PACAP and combinations thereof, to deliver on our vision.”

“The Vedana team represents the deepest concentration of migraine expertise we have seen,” Julie Grant, Canaan Partners general partner, said. “Importantly, they bring together the lived experiences from multiple migraine companies and medicines in large and small biotech. They are focused entirely on what the next generation of medicines needs to deliver for patients. We are proud to back them.”