About Pfenex
Pfenex is a Healthcare company based in San Diego (United States) founded in 2009, and was acquired by Ligand Pharmaceuticals in August 2020. Clinical-stage development of non-glycosylated biosimilar therapeutics. Pfenex has raised $24 million across 1 funding round from investors including Dow, Ligand Pharmaceuticals and Signet Healthcare Partners. The company has 80 employees. Pfenex offers products and services including Pfenex Expression Technology, Prima RNApols, and PeliCRM197. Its focus areas include Life Sciences, Ophthalmology, Drugs and Diversified. Its legal entity is Primrose Bio, Inc. Its competitors include Kriya Therapeutics, Annexon and Aldeyra; 3 of its 3 listed competitors have raised funding.
Company details
Pfenex is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on recombinant protein expression for applications including therapeutic proteins, vaccines, research, reagents and biosimilars. The companys lead product candidate (in partnership with Pfizer) is PF582, a biosimilar candidate to Lucentis (ranibizumab), for the potential treatment of patients with retinal diseases. In addition, Pfenex has seven other biosimilars in various stages of development, including three with India-based Strides Acrolab, and two vaccines for anthrax and malaria.
- Headquarters San Diego, United States
- Employees 80
- Stage Acquired
- SectorsHealthcare
- Website pfenex.com
- Social LinkedIn X
- Acquired by Ligand Pharmaceuticals (Aug 2020)
- Legal Name Primrose Bio, Inc.
- Total Equity Funding$24M (USD)
in 1 rounds
- Latest Funding Round$24M (USD), Series A
Dec 2009
- InvestorsDow
& 2 more
- Employee Count80
- Acquired byLigand Pharmaceuticals
(Aug 2020)
Products & Services of Pfenex
Pfenex offers a comprehensive portfolio of products and services, including Pfenex Expression Technology, Prima RNApols, and PeliCRM197.
Platform for high-yield recombinant protein production using Pseudomonas fluorescens.
System for mRNA manufacturing and evaluation in therapeutic applications.
Carrier protein for vaccines and biologics production.
Funding Insights of Pfenex
Pfenex has successfully raised a total of $24M through 1 strategic funding round. The most recent funding activity was a Series A round of $24 million completed in December 2009. 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 $24M
- Total Rounds 1
- Last Round Series A β $24M
- First Round $24M
(Dec 2009)
- Investors Count 2
All 1 funding rounds of Pfenex 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2009 | $24M | Series A | β | β |
3 investors in total: 3 institutional.
Investors in Pfenex
Pfenex has secured backing from 3 investors, including institutional and venture fund investors. Prominent investors backing the company include Dow, Ligand Pharmaceuticals and Signet Healthcare Partners.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
PE firm investing in North America and Europe | signethealthcarepartners.com | New York, United States | ||
Dow Inc. is engaged in materials science and chemical manufacturing. | 1897 | dow.com | Saginaw, United States | |
Pharmaceutical drugs are manufactured and developed in the United States. | 1987 | ligand.com | San Diego, United States |
Investor details for Pfenex
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People of Pfenex
2 people are tracked at Pfenex (2 in leadership); the tracked headcount is 80.
| Name | Role | Group |
|---|---|---|
Eef Schimmelpennink | Chief Executive Officer | Leadership |
Ryan Haverstock | Director, Business Development | Leadership |
Complete people profiles for Pfenex
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Timeline of Pfenex
4 dated milestones of Pfenex across 11 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.
- Founded Pfenex is founded.
- Funding First funding round of $24.0M.
- IPO Lists on the stock exchange (IPO).
- Exit Acquired by Ligand Pharmaceuticals.
Competitors of Pfenex
Pfenex has 3 listed competitors in our database, 3 of them funded. They include Kriya Therapeutics, Annexon and Aldeyra.
| Company Name | Domain | Founded | HQ Location | Total funding | Employees | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| kriyatherapeutics.com | 2012 | Redwood, United States | $930.93M | 159 | Developer of therapeutic solutions for the treatment of diabetes | |
| annexonbio.com | 2011 | San Francisco, United States | $256M | 80 | Developer of antibodies to treat complement-mediated neurodegenerative diseases | |
| aldeyra.com | 2004 | Lexington, United States | $4.79M | 30 | Drug candidates for immune-mediated diseases are developed by Aldeyra. |
Detailed competitors of Pfenex
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Web traffic of Pfenex
Websites that share an audience with Pfenex (pfenex.com).
Websites whose visitors overlap most with Pfenex. Affinity shows how closely the audiences match.
| Website | Domain | Audience affinity | Monthly visits | Global rank | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| echotx.com | 100% | View details |
Top companies in Ophthalmology
3 companies that operate in the same segment as Pfenex (Ophthalmology) in United States, ranked by their profile score on The Company Check.
| Company | Description | Founded | Location | Total funding | Revenue | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Developer of a wide range of eye care products | 1945 | Fort Worth, Texas, United States | USD 171.61 M | USD 9.64 B | 25,600 | |
Genetic medicines are developed by 4DMT for transformative therapies. | 2013 | Emeryville, California, United States | USD 186.59 M | USD 85.21 M | 227 | |
Developer of antibodies to treat complement-mediated neurodegenerative diseases | 2011 | San Francisco, California, United States | USD 256 M | 100 |
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Related news about Pfenex
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Frequently Asked Questions about Pfenex
Pfenex was founded in 2009.
Pfenex is headquartered in San Diego, United States. It is registered at San Diego, California, United States.
Pfenex is a funded company, having raised a total of $24M across 1 funding round to date. The company's 1st funding round was a Series A of $24M, raised on Dec 2009.
Pfenex has 80 employees.
Pfenex is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on recombinant protein expression for applications including therapeutic proteins, vaccines, research, reagents and biosimilars. The companys lead product candidate (in partnership with Pfizer) is PF582, a biosimilar candidate to Lucentis (ranibizumab), for the potential treatment of patients with retinal diseases. In addition, Pfenex has seven other biosimilars in various stages of development, including three with India-based Strides Acrolab, and two vaccines for anthrax and malaria.
Pfenex's top competitors include Annexon, Aldeyra and Kriya Therapeutics.
Pfenex offers Pfenex Expression Technology, Prima RNApols, and PeliCRM197.
Pfenex has 3 investors. Key investors include Dow, Ligand Pharmaceuticals, and Signet Healthcare Partners.
Pfenex operates through Primrose Bio, Inc..
Yes. Pfenex was acquired by Ligand Pharmaceuticals in August 2020.

