What Cardurion Pharmaceuticals does

Cardurion Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage cardiovascular biotechnology company founded in 2017 by physician-scientist Michael E. Mendelsohn, M.D. (former Senior Vice President and Global Head of Cardiovascular Research at Merck Research Laboratories) and headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts. The company develops novel therapeutics targeting cardiovascular signaling pathways — specifically phosphodiesterase 9 (PDE9) and calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) — both previously considered difficult or "undruggable." Its lead program, CRD-750 (a PDE9 inhibitor), is being evaluated in two global Phase 2 trials: CYCLE-1-REF in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF, ~560 patients) and CYCLE-2-PEF in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF, ~300 patients), with enrollment completed in August 2025. A related molecule, CRD-740, generated statistically significant plasma cGMP increases in the Phase 2a CARDINAL-HF trial in HFrEF patients. The CaMKII inhibitor program is anchored by CRD-4730 in a Phase 2 trial for catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT), a rare genetic arrhythmic disease with no approved therapies, and is being explored for broader applications in heart failure and atrial fibrillation.

The company's core technology platforms — PDE9 inhibition (preventing cGMP degradation to enhance natriuretic peptide signaling) and CaMKII inhibition (correcting calcium cycling abnormalities) — are supported by an in-house drug discovery unit, Cardurion KK, based in Fujisawa, Japan, with 14 cardiovascular scientists. Cardurion is the first company to bring a PDE9 inhibitor into clinical development for chronic heart failure and the first to develop a CaMKII inhibitor for clinical evaluation. Its clinical advisory board includes James Udelson (Tufts), John McMurray (University of Glasgow), Scott Solomon (Harvard Medical School), and the late Eugene Braunwald (Harvard).

Cardurion has no commercial products and generates no product revenue. The company expects future revenue to come from pharmaceutical product sales upon regulatory approval, distributed through specialty pharmacies, hospital buying groups, and direct physician prescribing channels. The company is funded through venture capital, having raised approximately $260 million in a Series B led by Ascenta Capital in July 2024 (with Bain Capital having committed up to $300 million in 2021), bringing total committed capital above $560 million. Investors include Bain Capital, Ascenta Capital, NEA, GV, Fidelity, Millennium Management, Farallon, Invus, Blue Owl, Delos, and Digitalis Ventures. GTM motion is centered on multi-center clinical trial partnerships with leading academic cardiology institutions globally, with eventual commercial launch expected through specialty sales channels targeting cardiologists and heart failure specialists.

Name

Cardurion Pharmaceuticals

Legal name

Cardurion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

Website

https://cardurion.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cardurion Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage cardiovascular biotechnology company developing first-in-class PDE9 inhibitors (CRD-750, CRD-740) and the first-ever CaMKII inhibitor (CRD-4730) for heart failure, CPVT, and atrial fibrillation. It serves patients with cardiovascular diseases through clinical development headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cardiovascular Therapeutics

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834)

akta.pro primary industry

Cardiometabolic Pharmaceuticals (Cardiovascular/Diabetes/Obesity) (HLAIAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Rare Cardiovascular & Vascular Disorder Therapies (HLAIAIAH), Cardiology & Vascular Specialty Pharmaceuticals (HLAIACAG)

Keywords

• Cardiovascular therapeutics
• Heart failure drugs
• Clinical-stage biotechnology
• PDE9 inhibitors
• Calcium signaling modulators

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Pharmaceutical Product Revenue: Cardurion is a clinical-stage biotechnology company with no current commercial products. Revenue will be generated through sales of approved pharmaceutical products targeting cardiovascular diseases, once regulatory approval is obtained for PDE9 inhibitors (CRD-750) and CaMKII inhibitors (CRD-4730). The company is in Phase 2 clinical trials for multiple drug candidates.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Cardurion Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing novel therapeutics for cardiovascular diseases, with two lead programs: PDE9 inhibitors (CRD-750 and CRD-740) targeting chronic heart failure (HFrEF and HFpEF) and the first-ever CaMKII inhibitor (CRD-4730) in clinical development targeting CPVT, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation. The company also maintains a preclinical TRPC6 inhibitor candidate. Drug candidates are being advanced through Phase 2 clinical trials and will ultimately be commercialized for prescription use by cardiologists and healthcare providers.

Product overview

Cardurion Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a pipeline of novel cardiovascular therapeutics. The company's clinical-stage pipeline consists of two groundbreaking programs: CRD-750 and CRD-740 (PDE9 inhibitors targeting heart failure) and CRD-4730 (CaMKII inhibitor for cardiovascular diseases). The drug candidates target phosphodiesterase-9 (PDE9) and calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) signaling pathways to treat conditions including HFrEF, HFpEF, and CPVT.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CRD-750 An orally-administered phosphodiesterase 9 (PDE9) inhibitor being evaluated in Phase 2 clinical trials (CYCLE-1-REF and CYCLE-2-PEF) for the treatment of both types of chronic heart failure (HFrEF and HFpEF). Being developed for cardiology specialists and the broader heart failure patient population.
• CRD-740 A phosphodiesterase 9 (PDE9) inhibitor that completed a Phase 2a CARDINAL-HF trial in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), demonstrating statistically significant median increase in plasma cGMP at four weeks. Targeted at heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction.
• CRD-4730
• PDE9 Inhibitor Program Clinical program targeting phosphodiesterase-9 inhibition to enhance the natriuretic peptide signaling pathway for treating heart failure. Cardurion is the first company to bring a PDE9 inhibitor into clinical development for chronic heart failure, addressing both HFrEF and HFpEF patients.
• CaMKII Inhibitor Program Clinical program targeting calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) for treating rare and common cardiovascular diseases including CPVT, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation. Cardurion is the first company to successfully develop a CaMKII inhibitor and evaluate it in clinical studies.
• TRPC6 Inhibitor A preclinical drug candidate targeting TRPC6 for cardiopulmonary indications, currently in the discovery stage of the Cardurion research and development pipeline.

Quantifiable outcome

• CRD-740 achieved statistically significant median increases in plasma cGMP at four weeks in Phase 2a CARDINAL-HF trial in HFrEF patients
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Tufts Medical CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 May 2024Clinical partnership with Tufts Medical Center for CARDINAL-HF Phase 2a trial. James Udelson, MD, Chief of Cardiology at Tufts Medical Center, served as Principal Investigator and leads Cardurion's Clinical Advisory Board. Scott Solomon, MD from Harvard Medical School also involved in clinical trials.
• Clinical Advisory Board MemberscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCardurion has assembled a world-class Clinical Advisory Board including James Udelson, MD (Tufts Medical Center), John McMurray, MD (University of Glasgow), Scott Solomon, MD (Harvard Medical School), and the late Eugene Braunwald, MD (Harvard Medical School) who served as founding member from 2017-2026. These experts guide clinical development, trial design, and regulatory affairs.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Edgewise Therapeutics: Clinical-stage company developing targeted therapies for cardiovascular and musculoskeletal diseases, including cardiac sarcomere modulators. Comparable to Cardurion as a smaller, cardiovascular-focused clinical-stage biotech with novel mechanism programs in cardiac disease.
• Stealth BioTherapeutics: Clinical-stage biotechnology company developing mitochondria-targeted therapeutics for cardiovascular and metabolic diseases including heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. Overlaps with Cardurion in pursuing novel cardiovascular mechanisms for HFpEF.
• Rocket Pharmaceuticals: Clinical-stage gene therapy company with cardiovascular programs including Danon disease (RP-A501) and BAG3-associated dilated cardiomyopathy. Comparable as a cardiovascular-focused rare disease biotech with similar venture backing and clinical-stage development model.
• Lexeo Therapeutics: Clinical-stage biotechnology company developing AAV-based gene therapies for genetically defined cardiovascular diseases including Friedreich's ataxia cardiomyopathy and arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy. Comparable to Cardurion in pursuing differentiated cardiovascular mechanisms with strong academic and scientific backing.

Broad incumbents

• Novartis: Global pharmaceutical company whose Entresto (sacubitril/valsartan) is a foundational heart failure therapy and standard-of-care comparator for any new HFrEF entrant including Cardurion's CRD-750. Represents the commercial benchmark and potential acquirer/partner for new CV mechanisms.
• AstraZeneca: Global pharmaceutical company with Farxiga (dapagliflozin), an SGLT2 inhibitor now foundational in heart failure treatment. Represents an additional standard-of-care comparator and potential strategic acquirer for differentiated HF programs like Cardurion's PDE9 and CaMKII pipeline.
• BridgeBio Pharma: Late-stage commercial biopharmaceutical company with cardiovascular programs including acoramidis for transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy. Comparable as a broader cardiovascular-focused biopharma with deep clinical pipeline across multiple cardiac indications.
• Bayer: Global pharmaceutical company with established cardiovascular franchise including Verquvo (vericiguat) for heart failure with reduced ejection fraction. Direct comparator to Cardurion's PDE9 program as a recent CV mechanism launch and incumbent in the HF treatment paradigm.

Direct peers

• Tenaya Therapeutics: Clinical-stage cardiovascular biotechnology company developing gene therapies and small molecules for heart failure and genetic cardiomyopathies. Comparable to Cardurion as a venture-backed, U.S.-headquartered CV biotech advancing differentiated mechanisms through clinical trials with similar investor profiles.
• Cytokinetics: Clinical-stage cardiovascular biotechnology company developing cardiac myosin modulators (e.g., omecamtiv mecarbil, aficamten) for heart failure and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Directly comparable to Cardurion as a CV-focused clinical-stage biotech pursuing novel mechanisms in heart failure with similar trial designs and target patient populations.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cardurion

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds6 records

Investors14 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 Cardurion Pharmaceuticals