About Afferent Pharmaceuticals
Afferent Pharmaceuticals is a Healthcare company based in San Mateo (United States) founded in 2009, and was acquired by Merck in June 2016. Sensitized nerves are targeted for treating chronic neurogenic disorders. Afferent Pharmaceuticals has raised $78.15 million across 3 funding rounds from investors including Merck, Fidelity Investments and New Leaf Venture Partners. The company has 5 employees. Afferent Pharmaceuticals offers products and services including Medicines, Vaccines, and Patient Assistance Programs. Its focus areas include Life Sciences, Neurology, Drugs and Pain. Its legal entity is AFFERENT PHARMACEUTICALS, INC. Its competitors include Flexion Therapeutics, Eliem Therapeutics and Zogenix; 3 of its 3 listed competitors have raised funding.
Company details
Afferent Pharmaceuticals was founded in 2009 as a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company based in San Mateo, United States. Small molecule compounds targeting P2X3 receptors are developed for chronic pain, respiratory, and urological conditions. The pipeline includes AF-219, applied to osteoarthritis pain, treatment-refractory chronic cough, and interstitial cystitisbladder pain syndrome, along with AF-220 as a second-generation P2X3 antagonist.
Products & Services of Afferent Pharmaceuticals
Afferent Pharmaceuticals offers a comprehensive portfolio of products and services, including Medicines, Vaccines, and Patient Assistance Programs.
Treatments for diseases like oncology and infections
Preventive solutions against infectious diseases
Financial aid for accessing medications
Funding Insights of Afferent Pharmaceuticals
Afferent Pharmaceuticals has successfully raised a total of $78.15M across 3 strategic funding rounds. The most recent funding activity was a Series C round of $55 million completed in July 2015. This substantial capital infusion reflects strong investor confidence in the company's business model, growth potential, and market opportunities. The funding enables strategic expansion, product development, market penetration, and operational scaling to drive long-term value creation and competitive advantage.
- Total Funding $78.15M
- Total Rounds 3
- Last Round Series C — $55M
- First Round $150,000
(Oct 2009)
- Investors Count 9
All 3 funding rounds of Afferent Pharmaceuticals with amounts and investors; the two latest post-money valuations are shown, the rest are part of the premium plan.
| Date | Amount | Transaction Name | Valuation | Lead Investors | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 2015 | $55M | Series C | – | – | |
| Dec 2009 | $23M | Series A | – | Third Rock Ventures, Domain Associates | – |
| Oct 2009 | $150,000 | Seed | – | – | – |
10 investors in total: 10 institutional.
Investors in Afferent Pharmaceuticals
Afferent Pharmaceuticals has secured backing from 10 investors, including institutional and venture fund investors. Prominent investors backing the company include Merck, Fidelity Investments and New Leaf Venture Partners.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Stage-agnostic investments in US life sciences are managed. | 2005 | nlvpartners.com | New York, United States | |
Venture capital funding is provided to early-stage life science companies. | thirdrockventures.com | Boston, United States | ||
Life science & tech focused VC firm investing in the US | domainvc.com | Princeton, United States | ||
VC firm focusing on life science sector | pappas-capital.com | Durham, United States | ||
Provider of brokerage accounts, retirement planning, wealth management, and trading platforms | 1946 | fidelity.com | Boston, United States | |
Offers asset management and advisory for equities and fixed income portfolios. | 1969 | jennison.com | New York, United States | |
Healthcare investment advisory services are provided by PFM Health Sciences. | 2004 | pfmlp.com | San Francisco, United States | |
Operates as an employee-owned hedge fund focused on long/short equity strategies. | 2007 | redmilegroup.com | San Francisco, United States | |
Investment advisory services are provided to financial clients. | 1986 | teklacap.com | Boston, United States | |
Pharmaceutical products are manufactured and marketed worldwide. | 1891 | merck.com | Kenilworth, United Kingdom |
Investor details for Afferent Pharmaceuticals
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Timeline of Afferent Pharmaceuticals
4 dated milestones of Afferent Pharmaceuticals across 7 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.
- Founded Afferent Pharmaceuticals is founded.
- Funding First funding round of $150K.
- Funding Latest funding round, Series C, of $55.0M.
- Exit Acquired by Merck.
Competitors of Afferent Pharmaceuticals
Afferent Pharmaceuticals has 3 listed competitors in our database, 3 of them funded. They include Flexion Therapeutics, Eliem Therapeutics and Zogenix.
| Company Name | Domain | Founded | HQ Location | Total funding | Employees | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| flexiontherapeutics.com | 2007 | Woburn, United States | $62M | 692 | Developer of therapies for the treatment of musculoskeletal disorders | |
| eliemtx.com | 2018 | Boston, United States | $171.3M | 30 | Develops antibody-based treatments for autoimmune and inflammatory disorders. | |
| zogenix.com | 2006 | Emeryville, United States | $149.06M | 159 | Drug delivery systems for CNS disorders and pain are developed. |
Detailed competitors of Afferent Pharmaceuticals
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Top companies in Pain Management
3 companies that operate in the same segment as Afferent Pharmaceuticals (Pain Management) in United States, ranked by their profile score on The Company Check.
| Company | Description | Founded | Location | Total funding | Revenue | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Developer of therapies for the treatment of musculoskeletal disorders | 2007 | Woburn, Massachusetts, United States | USD 62 M | USD 85.55 M | 692 | |
Developer of therapeutics for pain relief and inflammatory diseases | 2004 | New York, New York, United States | USD 51 M | USD 4.33 M | 79 | |
GPCR ligand-based therapeutics for cardiovascular diseases and pain are developed. | 2007 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States | USD 203 M | USD 3.13 M | 35 |
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Frequently Asked Questions about Afferent Pharmaceuticals
Afferent Pharmaceuticals was founded in 2009.
Afferent Pharmaceuticals is headquartered in San Mateo, United States. It is registered at San Mateo, California, United States.
Afferent Pharmaceuticals is a funded company, having raised a total of $78.15M across 3 funding rounds to date. The company's 1st funding round was a Seed of $150K, raised on Oct 2009.
Afferent Pharmaceuticals has 5 employees.
Afferent Pharmaceuticals was founded in 2009 as a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company based in San Mateo, United States. Small molecule compounds targeting P2X3 receptors are developed for chronic pain, respiratory, and urological conditions. The pipeline includes AF-219, applied to osteoarthritis pain, treatment-refractory chronic cough, and interstitial cystitisbladder pain syndrome, along with AF-220 as a second-generation P2X3 antagonist.
Afferent Pharmaceuticals's top competitors include Flexion Therapeutics, Zogenix and Eliem Therapeutics.
Afferent Pharmaceuticals offers Medicines, Vaccines, and Patient Assistance Programs.
Afferent Pharmaceuticals has 10 investors. Key investors include Merck, Fidelity Investments, New Leaf Venture Partners, Tekla Capital Management, and Jennison Associates.
Afferent Pharmaceuticals operates through Afferent Pharmaceuticals, Inc..
Yes. Afferent Pharmaceuticals was acquired by Merck in June 2016.