New Player Latigo in Pain Biotech Challenges Vertex

A new contender has emerged in the domain of pain-focused biotechnology, marking its arrival with a substantial investment of $135 million. Latigo, the brainchild of Westlake Village BioPartners that came into existence at the beginning of 2020, is gearing up to challenge Vertex, a prominent player in the development of non-opioid pain management solutions.

Latigo Biotherapeutics made waves recently when it unveiled its flagship nav1.8 inhibitor, LTG-001. This compound, currently undergoing rigorous testing in healthy volunteers, is aimed at addressing acute and chronic pain. 

Interestingly, this target is not unfamiliar territory for the industry, as Vertex is also pursuing a similar avenue with its own non-opioid therapy, VX-548. While VX-548 has shown promising results in recent trials for acute pain, it has yet to outperform the established standard of care, Vicodin. Nevertheless, Vertex remains determined to seek FDA approval, targeting a broad label encompassing moderate to severe acute pain.

The journey of LTG-001 traces back to the Lieber Institute for Brain Development in Baltimore, where foundational scientific research laid the groundwork. Subsequent preclinical work was conducted in Thousand Oaks, California, with Latigo leveraging local talent, including former Amgen employees who joined post-Amgen’s neuroscience divestment in 2019. 

This collaborative effort has led to the development of additional molecules, positioning Latigo as a promising player in the biotech landscape.

Dr. Sean Harper, co-founding managing director of Westlake Village BioPartners, has shed light on the challenges inherent in surpassing opioids in pain management. Harper believes that while achieving superiority over opioids is a lofty goal, Latigo’s molecule holds promise in minimizing off-target effects in the brain and potentially addressing chronic pain as well. However, he underscores the importance of empirical validation to substantiate these claims.

Desmond Padhi, an operating partner at Westlake, steps into the role of interim CEO, while Dr. Nancy Stagliano, CEO of Neuron23, takes the helm as chair of the board. Stagliano emphasizes the significance of Latigo’s timing, aligning perfectly with key milestones in the company’s trajectory.

The inaugural funding round, co-led by 5AM Ventures and Foresite Capital, with participation from Corner Ventures, underscores investor confidence in Latigo’s potential. While specifics regarding the funding runway remain undisclosed, Padhi expresses optimism regarding ongoing trials and future endeavors, including clinical trials for Latigo’s second molecule, slated to commence in the near future. In addition to this, a phase study 2 with patients suffering from acute pain may also be underway for later this year.

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