Terns Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing small-molecule therapies targeting serious diseases such as oncology and obesity. Their focus is on creating effective treatments to reduce the global disease burden and improve patient outcomes.
Funding
$150.2M raised to dateRaised to date based on public sources. This may differ from the amount the company actually raised and is based only on what is publicly available on the internet.
Founders
Product
Problem
Many serious diseases, such as chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and obesity, lack effective treatments, resulting in a significant global disease burden and poor patient outcomes. Current therapies may have limitations, including off-target effects, unpredictable pharmacokinetics, or the need for lifelong treatment and frequent switching of therapies.
Solution
Terns Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing small-molecule therapies to address serious diseases, including oncology and obesity. Their pipeline includes drug candidates targeting CML (TERN-701), obesity (TERN-601 and TERN-501), and related metabolic disorders. Terns employs rational drug design to create product candidates with improved efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetic profiles. Their approach involves identifying structures suitable for oral administration, enhancing liver distribution, and improving selectivity for specific receptors to minimize off-target effects.
Target Audience
The primary target audience includes patients suffering from chronic myeloid leukemia, obesity, and related metabolic disorders, as well as healthcare providers seeking more effective and safer treatment options.
Features
- TERN-701: An allosteric BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) targeting the ABL myristoyl pocket for the treatment of CML; currently in Phase 1 clinical trials.
- TERN-601: An oral small-molecule glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonist in development for the treatment of obesity; demonstrated statistically significant, dose-dependent weight loss in Phase 1 trials.
- TERN-501: A thyroid hormone receptor beta (THR-β) agonist with high metabolic stability, enhanced liver distribution, and greater selectivity for THR-β, minimizing the risk of cardiotoxicity; Phase 2a trial achieved primary and secondary efficacy endpoints with a differentiated safety profile.
- TERN-800: Glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide receptor (GIPR) modulators for obesity, with discovery efforts ongoing for small molecule GIPR antagonists.
- Combination therapy approach: Exploring the potential of combining TERN-501 with GLP-1 receptor agonists for enhanced weight loss and improved body composition.