SFA Therapeutics

What SFA Therapeutics does

SFA Therapeutics, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company founded in 2016 and headquartered in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania (Delaware-incorporated). The company develops a pipeline of deuterated short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) therapeutics using a proprietary deuteration platform that converts naturally occurring short-chain fatty acids into patentable new chemical entities (NCEs). Its lead candidate, SFA-002, is an oral once-daily deuterated SCFA in Phase 2 preparation for mild-to-severe plaque psoriasis. The mechanism targets the gut-immune axis by upregulating interleukin-10 (IL-10), expanding regulatory T cells (T-reg), and producing sustained reductions in IL-17, IL-23, IFN-γ, and TNF inflammatory cytokines while avoiding broad immunosuppression. Phase 1b data in 28 participants over 12 weeks showed 92% of evaluable subjects achieving PASI-50 and 72% achieving PASI-75, with no treatment-emergent adverse events and over 100 human exposures across the platform demonstrating safety.

The pipeline beyond SFA-002 includes SFA-009 (preclinical) for pancreatic cancer combination therapy and SFA-001 for liver cancer targeting the chronic liver disease to hepatocellular carcinoma progression, with future indications in rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease. The platform is protected by 19 issued patents (6 U.S., 13 foreign) and over 30 pending applications; U.S. Patent No. 12,622,885 issued May 12, 2026 with NCE exclusivity through 2044. SFA-002 patent coverage extends across more than 40 potential indications.

The company is pre-revenue and monetizes through future prescription product sales upon FDA approval; current go-to-market is clinical-development and investor-relations led, with a planned randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2 study in 120 plaque psoriasis patients. Leadership includes Chairman Shawn O'Brien (8 dermatology deals, 9 NDAs at Cipher Pharmaceuticals), Co-Founder & CSO Ira C. Spector (Enbrel trials lead, $18B franchise across 8 indications; helped create Wyeth and transform Allergan), Co-Founder Mark Feitelson (inventor of the SFA platform, named lab at Temple University), and Co-Founder & CDO Alla Arzumanyan (inventor of SFA-002). Cumulative funding is approximately $8.7M across rounds from 2020 to 2023, with investors including Y Combinator, North South Ventures, Acequia Capital, Boost.vc, Asymmetry Ventures, Ben Franklin Technology Partners, Savantus Ventures, and others.

Name

SFA Therapeutics

Legal name

SFA Therapeutics, Inc.

Website

https://sfatherapeutics.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SFA Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing oral deuterated short-chain fatty acid therapeutics that target the gut-immune axis. Its lead candidate SFA-002 is in Phase 2 for plaque psoriasis, with additional preclinical candidates for pancreatic and liver cancers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Inflammatory Disease Therapeutics

NAICS

Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414)

SIC

Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834)

akta.pro primary industry

Sales Force Automation (SFA) CRM (HDAEAFAA)

Keywords

• Biopharmaceutical drug development
• Deuterated therapeutics
• Inflammatory disease treatment
• Autoimmune drug pipeline
• Oral immunology drugs

Headquarters

HQ city

Jenkintown

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Pharmaceutical Product Revenue: SFA Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with no current revenue. The company is developing a pipeline of deuterated short-chain fatty acid therapeutics targeting psoriasis, liver disease, pancreatic cancer, and autoimmune conditions. Revenue would be generated through future product sales upon regulatory approval.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

SFA Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing oral deuterated short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) therapeutics targeting chronic inflammatory diseases. Its lead candidate, SFA-002, is in Phase 2 preparation for plaque psoriasis, with additional pipeline candidates (SFA-009 for pancreatic cancer, SFA-001 for liver cancer) in earlier stages and future programs in rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease.

Product overview

SFA Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a pipeline of deuterated short-chain fatty acid therapeutics. The company's proprietary deuteration platform creates patentable new chemical entities from naturally occurring short-chain fatty acids. Lead product SFA-002 is in Phase 2 for plaque psoriasis, with SFA-009 for pancreatic cancer and SFA-001 for liver cancer in earlier stages. The platform enables once-daily oral dosing with a clean safety profile, targeting immune reset through the gut-immune axis.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SFA-002 Oral, once-daily deuterated short-chain fatty acid tablet designed for mild-to-severe plaque psoriasis. Resets immunity through the gut-immune axis by upregulating interleukin-10 (IL-10), expanding regulatory T cells, and achieving sustained reductions in IL-17, IL-23, IFN-γ, and TNF. Currently in Phase 2 clinical trial preparation.
• SFA-009 Oral deuterated short-chain fatty acid in preclinical development for pancreatic cancer as combination therapy.
• SFA-001 Deuterated short-chain fatty acid in development for liver cancer, targeting chronic liver disease to hepatocellular carcinoma progression.
• Deuterated SCFA Platform Proprietary deuteration platform that creates patentable new chemical entities from naturally occurring short-chain fatty acids, enabling NCE exclusivity, oral once-daily dosing, and application across multiple inflammatory and oncologic indications.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Arcutis Biotherapeutics: Clinical-stage dermatology company developing topical and oral therapies for plaque psoriasis and atopic dermatitis. Comparable as a similarly-sized, pre-commercial dermatology biotech pursuing safer oral alternatives to injectable biologics.
• MoonLake Immunotherapeutics: Clinical-stage immunology company developing Nanobody therapies for inflammatory diseases including psoriasis and hidradenitis suppurativa. Comparable as a focused immunology biotech targeting the same psoriasis patient population with differentiated mechanisms.
• UNION therapeutics: Clinical-stage dermatology company developing oral and topical therapies for inflammatory skin diseases including psoriasis. Comparable as a similarly-positioned pre-commercial dermatology biotech with a focus on oral, safer alternatives.
• Evelo Biosciences: Clinical-stage biotech developing oral microbial therapies for inflammatory diseases including psoriasis. Directly comparable mechanism involving gut-immune axis modulation for systemic inflammatory conditions.
• Dice Therapeutics: Clinical-stage immunology company developing oral IL-17 modulators for psoriasis and other autoimmune conditions. Comparable as a small-molecule oral immunology peer targeting the same cytokine pathways.
• Ventyx Biosciences: Clinical-stage immunology company developing oral therapies for inflammatory diseases including psoriasis. Comparable as a similarly-sized clinical biotech pursuing oral immunology mechanisms in overlapping indications.
• AnaptysBio: Clinical-stage immunology company developing antibody-based therapies for inflammatory diseases including psoriasis. Comparable as a focused immunology biotech with clinical assets in similar indications.

Broad incumbents

• AbbVie: Major pharmaceutical company with leading psoriasis biologics including Skyrizi and Rinvoq, plus Humira. Represents the dominant competitive backdrop SFA-002 must penetrate in the plaque psoriasis market.
• Bristol-Myers Squibb: Large pharmaceutical company with Sotyktu, an oral psoriasis therapy approved in 2022. Represents the most directly comparable incumbent oral psoriasis therapy and a benchmark for SFA-002's commercial positioning.
• Prometheus Biosciences: Clinical-stage immunology company (acquired by Merck for $10.8B in 2023) developing therapies for IBD and other autoimmune diseases. Comparable as a gut-immune-focused immunology biotech that achieved major BD exit, illustrating the value-creation potential for SFA's gut-immune axis approach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TherapeuticsSfa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sfa-therapeutics

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors12 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about SFA Therapeutics