Gossamer Bio

Gossamer Bio is a San Diego-based clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company whose current focus is seralutinib, an investigational inhaled therapy for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and pulmonary hypertension associated with interstitial lung disease (PH-ILD). Seralutinib is described as an inhaled PDGFRα/β, CSF1R and c-KIT inhibitor delivered via a dry powder inhaler. The company frames its mission around rare pulmonary diseases and patient-community engagement, and it maintains advocacy partnerships alongside its clinical programs.

At launch and in its early years the company pursued a broader pipeline. Coverage of its 2018 Series B describes four programs at varying preclinical and clinical stages spanning immunology, inflammation, immuno-oncology and fibrosis, with a lead candidate then in Phase 2. It also in-licensed a HIF-1 alpha stabilizer (AKB-4924, renamed GB004) from Aerpio Pharmaceuticals for inflammatory bowel disease. The current public-facing pipeline presented on the company's website is centered exclusively on seralutinib (formerly GB002).

Clinical activity includes the completed Phase 2 TORREY study, whose topline data were reported in December 2022, the ongoing Phase 3 PROSERA study in adults with PAH, and open-label extension studies (including PROSERA-EXT) evaluating long-term safety, tolerability and efficacy in patients who completed prior seralutinib studies. Seralutinib development is run in part through a joint partnership development team with Chiesi.

Founding story

Gossamer Bio was co-founded by Faheem Hasnain and Sheila Gujrathi, both former Receptos executives (Hasnain as President/CEO, Gujrathi as chief medical officer), following Celgene's 2015 acquisition of Receptos for $7.2 billion in cash. The company launched in January 2018 with $100 million. Its name references the "gossamer thread," intended to symbolize the fragile connections binding relationships with patients, employees, shareholders, providers and partners.

Business model

Gossamer Bio operates as a drug developer, investing capital raised from private investors and public markets into clinical development of its own and in-licensed candidates, with the intent of bringing seralutinib to regulatory approval and commercial launch in PAH and PH-ILD. It has used in-licensing deals with upfront, milestone and royalty structures (e.g., the Aerpio agreement) and a development partnership with Chiesi for seralutinib.

No product revenue is described in the sources; the company is clinical-stage with no approved products. Financing has come from venture rounds and, per its investor-relations pages, publicly traded equity.

Traction

The TORREY Phase 2 study completed with topline data reported in December 2022. The Phase 3 PROSERA study in adults with PAH is registered on clinicaltrials.gov, with an open-label extension (PROSERA-EXT) evaluating long-term outcomes. The company raised $100 million at launch in January 2018 and a $230 million Series B in July 2018, and now reports stock-market listing information via its investor pages.

Latest developments

The current website describes the Phase 3 PROSERA study and the PROSERA-EXT open-label extension as the company's active clinical programs, and lists a Chiesi joint partnership development team for seralutinib. Recent leadership additions include Jeanine Anthony as Senior Vice President, Marketing (joined January 2024) to prepare a potential seralutinib launch, Jean-Marie Bruey, Ph.D. as Senior Vice President, Translational Medicine and Research, Lou Cherico as Senior Vice President, Finance & Treasury, and Kelly Dawson as Senior Vice President and Program Team Lead for seralutinib (transitioned into the role in late 2023).