What Draig Therapeutics does

Draig Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Cardiff, Wales, that develops highly selective small-molecule neuromodulators for neuropsychiatric disorders. It was co-founded in 2024 as a spinout from Cardiff University's Medicines Discovery Institute alongside SV Health Investors, founded on the Glutamate and GABA biology work of Professors John Atack and Simon Ward. The pipeline comprises three assets: DT-101, a next-generation AMPA receptor positive allosteric modulator (PAM) in Phase 2 development for Major Depressive Disorder; DT-201, a selective GABAA α5 negative allosteric modulator; and DT-301, a GABAA α2/α3 positive allosteric modulator designed to avoid the sedation (α1) and cognitive impairment (α5) liabilities of earlier-generation compounds.

The lead program DT-101 is being evaluated in the global, randomized, placebo-controlled TARIAN-1 Phase 2 trial (NCT07300969) planned to enroll more than 300 participants across the US, UK, and EU, following FDA IND clearance in October 2025. A completed Phase 1 trial in 66 healthy volunteers demonstrated favorable safety, dose-proportional pulsatile pharmacokinetics, and functional target engagement measured by magnetoencephalography. The company is led by President and CEO Ivana Magovčević-Liebisch (appointed November 2025, previously founder/CEO of Vigil Neuroscience through its acquisition by Sanofi) alongside founders/CSO Simon Ward and Head of Biology John Atack.

Draig is pre-revenue with no approved products; its revenue model anticipates future pharmaceutical product sales following regulatory approval, with commercialization expected to follow the traditional biopharma model of psychiatrist- and hospital-channel distribution. Capital structure is venture-backed, anchored by a $140 million oversubscribed Series A in June 2025 led by Access Biotechnology with participation from SV Health Investors, ICG, Canaan Partners, SR One, Sanofi Ventures, and Schroders Capital.

Name

Draig Therapeutics

Legal name

Draig Therapeutics Limited

Website

https://draigtherapeutics.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Draig Therapeutics is a Cardiff-based, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing highly selective AMPA and GABAA receptor modulators for neuropsychiatric disorders, with lead candidate DT-101 in a global Phase 2 trial for Major Depressive Disorder.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Neuropsychiatric Therapeutics

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

akta.pro primary industry

Clinical CROs (Phase I–IV) (HLAGAAAA)

Keywords

• Neurological drug development
• AMPA receptor modulators
• GABAA receptor modulators
• Depression therapeutics
• Clinical-stage biopharmaceutical

Headquarters

HQ city

Cardiff

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Pharmaceutical Product Revenue: Pre-revenue clinical-stage company. Expected to generate revenue through sale of approved pharmaceutical products for neuropsychiatric disorders, particularly DT-101 for Major Depressive Disorder. Revenue model will involve traditional pharmaceutical product sales upon successful regulatory approval and commercialization.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Draig Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing highly specific neuromodulators targeting AMPA and GABAA receptor pathways for neuropsychiatric disorders. Its lead program DT-101 is a next-generation AMPA receptor positive allosteric modulator in Phase 2 development for Major Depressive Disorder, with additional pipeline assets DT-201 and DT-301 targeting GABAA receptor subtypes.

Product overview

Draig Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a pipeline of highly specific neuromodulators targeting neuropsychiatric disorders. The company's portfolio includes DT-101 (AMPA receptor potentiator for major depressive disorder in Phase 2), DT-201 (α5-GABAA receptor NAM), and DT-301 (α2/α3-GABAA receptor PAM). The company is conducting the global TARIAN-1 Phase 2 trial for DT-101 across the US, UK, and EU, following FDA IND clearance in October 2025. Draig was co-founded in 2024 by Cardiff University and SV Health Investors, and is developing oral therapies targeting glutamate and GABA pathways in the brain to restore excitatory/inhibitory balance in neuropsychiatric diseases.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• DT-101 A next-generation AMPA receptor positive allosteric modulator (PAM) designed to restore synaptic connectivity in Major Depressive Disorder, with a high therapeutic index enabling effective receptor modulation while maintaining a favorable safety and tolerability profile and potential rapid, robust antidepressant effects including cognitive benefit.
• DT-201 A novel, highly selective negative allosteric modulator (NAM) of the α5-GABAA receptor subtype with minimal activity at other receptor subtypes, designed to deliver best-in-class potency with broad therapeutic potential across several neuropsychiatric disorders.
• DT-301 A novel, highly selective positive allosteric modulator (PAM) of the α2/α3-GABAA receptor subtypes with best-in-class selectivity, designed to avoid activity at α1 and α5 receptors associated with sedation and cognitive impairment to provide robust therapeutic benefit while minimizing limiting side effects.
• TARIAN-1 Phase 2 Clinical Trial Global Phase 2 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial program evaluating the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of DT-101 in people with Major Depressive Disorder, using MADRS score as the primary endpoint and conducted across sites in the US, UK, and EU.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 50% of MDD patients fail to achieve remission with current treatments
• +2 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Cardiff University / Medicines Discovery Institute (MDI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Draig was co-founded in 2024 by Cardiff University through its Medicines Discovery Institute. Professors John Atack and Simon Ward, Directors of MDI, serve as founders bringing deep academic expertise in AMPA and GABAA receptor biology. The research portfolio from MDI formed the basis of Draig's innovative pipeline including DT-101, DT-201, and DT-301.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sage Therapeutics: CNS-focused biopharma that developed Zurzuvae (zuranolone) for postpartum depression and previously Zulresso, both targeting GABAA pathways—making it the most directly comparable peer given Draig's GABAA modulator pipeline and neuropsychiatric focus.
• Karuna Therapeutics: Developed xanomeline-trospium (Cobenfy) for schizophrenia, acquired by Bristol Myers Squibb in 2024 for approximately $14B. Direct clinical-stage neuropsychiatric precedent for Draig's strategy of receptor-targeted CNS therapies.
• Neumora Therapeutics: Clinical-stage biopharma focused exclusively on neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases, with a pipeline of precision medicines targeting brain circuits. Closely comparable business model, stage, and therapeutic area focus.
• Axsome Therapeutics: Approved and commercializing Auvelity (dextromethorphan-bupropion) for major depressive disorder, the most advanced direct competitor to DT-101 in the MDD space and a benchmark for what successful CNS commercial execution looks like.
• Compass Pathways: Clinical-stage developer of psilocybin therapy for treatment-resistant depression—a directly overlapping patient population with DT-101 and a meaningful alternative-mechanism competitor in MDD.

Broad incumbents

• Acadia Pharmaceuticals: Established commercial-stage neuropsychiatric biopharma (Nuplazid for Parkinson's psychosis, Daybue for Rett syndrome) that demonstrates what a fully built-out CNS specialty commercial organization looks like and serves as a potential long-term acquirer/peer benchmark.
• Johnson & Johnson Innovative Medicine (Spravato): Markets Spravato (esketamine) for treatment-resistant depression, the largest currently-approved novel-mechanism competitor in Draig's lead indication, setting the bar for regulatory and commercial success in TRD.
• Boehringer Ingelheim (CNS pipeline): Large pharmaceutical company with active CNS pipeline including iclepertin for cognitive impairment associated with schizophrenia, making it a relevant comparator on pipeline ambition and a potential strategic acquirer of Draig-class assets.
• Takeda Pharmaceutical (CNS pipeline): Large pharmaceutical company with an active neuroscience/MDD pipeline including vortioxetine (Trintellix) co-promotion with Lundbeck and earlier-stage assets; a comparable broad incumbent investing in next-generation neuropsychiatric therapies.
• Karuna Therapeutics (now BMS) — represented via BMS: Following its $14B acquisition of Karuna, Bristol Myers Squibb is now a major commercial incumbent in neuropsychiatry with Cobenfy. BMS is both a peer archetype and a probable strategic acquirer of successful neuropsychiatric Phase 2 assets like DT-101.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/draigtherapeutics

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors12 records

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Draig Therapeutics