About Meritage Pharma
Meritage Pharma is a Healthcare company based in San Diego (United States) founded in 2008, and was acquired by Shire in February 2015. Phase III-ready rare disease drug for gastrointestinal and atopic diseases. Meritage Pharma has raised $36.47 million across 2 funding rounds from investors including Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Domain Associates and Latterell Venture Partners. The company has 6 employees. Its chief executive, as recorded, is Elaine M Phillips. Its focus areas include Life Sciences, Gastroenterology, Drugs and Diversified. Its competitors include Ironwood Pharma, Alcresta and Seed; 3 of its 3 listed competitors have raised funding.
Company details
Meritage Pharma is a phase III-ready rare disease drug manufacturer that develops prescription products for the treatment of gastrointestinal and atopic diseases. Offers budesonide, an active pharmaceutical ingredient and a glucocorticoid steroid for products that treat pediatric asthma, allergic rhinitis, and Crohns disease. Also offers oral budesonide suspension, an oral formulation of budesonide for the potential treatment of adolescents and young adults with eosinophilic esophagitis, an allergic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract.
- Headquarters San Diego, United States
- Employees 6
- Stage Acquired
- SectorsHealthcare
- Website meritagepharma.com
- Social LinkedIn X
- Acquired by Shire (Feb 2015)
- Total Equity Funding$36.47M (USD)
in 2 rounds
- Latest Funding Round$6.5M (USD), Series A
Nov 2011
- InvestorsTakeda Pharmaceuticals
& 3 more
- Employee Count6
- Acquired byShire
(Feb 2015)
Funding Insights of Meritage Pharma
Meritage Pharma has successfully raised a total of $36.47M across 2 strategic funding rounds. The most recent funding activity was a Series A round of $6.5 million completed in November 2011. 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 $36.47M
- Total Rounds 2
- Last Round Series A β $6.5M
- First Round $29.97M
(Jun 2008)
- Investors Count 3
All 2 funding rounds of Meritage Pharma 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 2011 | $6.5M | Series A | β | β | β |
| Jun 2008 | $29.97M | Series A | β | β |
4 investors in total: 4 institutional.
Investors in Meritage Pharma
Meritage Pharma has secured backing from 4 investors, including venture fund and institutional investors. Prominent investors backing the company include Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Domain Associates and Latterell Venture Partners.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Life science & tech focused VC firm investing in the US | domainvc.com | Princeton, United States | ||
Early-stage healthcare startups are supported with venture capital. | lvpcapital.com | San Ramon, United States | ||
Investments in early and late-stage US companies are made. | vertical-group.com | Basking Ridge, United States | ||
Rare disease treatments are developed by a specialty biopharmaceutical firm. | 1986 | shire.com | Dublin, Ireland |
Investor details for Meritage Pharma
The complete investor list, round-by-round participation and investor portfolios require an active premium plan.
- Complete investor list
- Round participation
- Investor portfolios
- Co-investor network
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
People of Meritage Pharma
1 people are tracked at Meritage Pharma (1 in leadership); the tracked headcount is 6.
| Name | Role | Group |
|---|---|---|
Elaine M Phillips | CEO | Leadership |
Complete people profiles for Meritage Pharma
Full employee and board profiles, team structure, tenure and professional contact details require an active premium plan.
- Full employee list
- Team structure
- Board tenure
- Professional contacts
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Timeline of Meritage Pharma
4 dated milestones of Meritage Pharma across 7 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.
- Founded Meritage Pharma is founded.
- Funding First funding round of $30.0M.
- Funding Latest funding round, Series A, of $6.5M.
- Exit Acquired by Shire.
Competitors of Meritage Pharma
Meritage Pharma has 3 listed competitors in our database, 3 of them funded. They include Ironwood Pharma, Alcresta and Seed.
| Company Name | Domain | Founded | HQ Location | Total funding | Employees | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ironwoodpharma.com | 1998 | Cambridge, United States | $206.25M | 220 | Therapeutics for gastrointestinal disorders, including linaclotide, are developed. | |
| alcresta.com | 2011 | Newton, United States | $95.89M | 52 | Enzyme-based products for gastrointestinal disorders are developed using immobilization technology. | |
| seed.com | 2016 | Los Angeles, United States | $40.62M | Synbiotics are developed for simulating the gut microbiome. |
Detailed competitors of Meritage Pharma
The full competitor set, operating metrics and side-by-side benchmarks require an active premium plan.
- Full competitor set
- Operating metrics
- Benchmarks
- Competitive positioning
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Top companies in Gastroenterology
3 companies that operate in the same segment as Meritage Pharma (Gastroenterology) in United States, ranked by their profile score on The Company Check.
| Company | Description | Founded | Location | Total funding | Revenue | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Therapeutics for gastrointestinal disorders, including linaclotide, are developed. | 1998 | Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States | USD 206.25 M | USD 296.15 M | 253 | |
Sacral neuromodulation devices are developed for urinary and bowel control. | 2013 | Irvine, California, United States | USD 143.47 M | |||
Provider of a deep learning platform for detecting circulating cancer-related markers | 2014 | United States | USD 1.35 B | 411 |
Unlock complete access to The Company Check
Get unrestricted viewing across everything we track β from companies and brands to investors, funding rounds, acquisitions, financials, and more.
- Unlimited viewing on all profiles Companies, investors, financials, funding, acquisitions & directors
- Full access to every database India & global coverage, advanced filters and rich profile details
- Always-on access from your team account Single premium plan for everything you see on the portal
Related news about Meritage Pharma
Complete news archive for Meritage Pharma
Full article history, source details, and older brand coverage require an active premium plan.
- Full article archive
- Source and publication date
- Older coverage
- Brand-specific news history
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Frequently Asked Questions about Meritage Pharma
Meritage Pharma was founded in 2008.
Meritage Pharma is headquartered in San Diego, United States. It is registered at San Diego, California, United States.
Elaine M Phillips is the CEO of Meritage Pharma, as recorded in our data.
Meritage Pharma is a funded company, having raised a total of $36.47M across 2 funding rounds to date. The company's 1st funding round was a Series A of $29.97M, raised on Jun 2008.
Meritage Pharma has 6 employees.
Meritage Pharma is a phase III-ready rare disease drug manufacturer that develops prescription products for the treatment of gastrointestinal and atopic diseases. Offers budesonide, an active pharmaceutical ingredient and a glucocorticoid steroid for products that treat pediatric asthma, allergic rhinitis, and Crohns disease. Also offers oral budesonide suspension, an oral formulation of budesonide for the potential treatment of adolescents and young adults with eosinophilic esophagitis, an allergic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract.
Meritage Pharma's top competitors include Ironwood Pharma, Seed and Alcresta.
Meritage Pharma has 4 investors. Key investors include Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Domain Associates, Latterell Venture Partners, and The Vertical Group.
Yes. Meritage Pharma was acquired by Shire in February 2015.

