Vascarta

What Vascarta does

Vascarta is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company developing transdermal drug delivery treatments for chronic inflammatory diseases, with lead candidate VAS-101 (Vasceptor®) — a topical curcumin gel — advancing in Phase 1 trials for sickle cell disease and knee osteoarthritis. The company is built on two proprietary technology pillars: Vasporta™, a patented transdermal delivery system that bypasses the well-documented poor oral bioavailability of curcumin and offers a needle-free alternative to injections, and Vasceptor®, a curcumin-based formulation that demonstrates systemic therapeutic effect via red blood cell distribution. Beyond the lead asset, Vascarta has expanded its pipeline through an exclusive license to CUNY's novel oncology linker chemistry, producing preclinical candidates STO-1 (glioblastoma) and STO-2 (curcumin-Gemzar conjugate).

The company currently generates no commercial revenue; VAS-101 is distributed on a prescription basis exclusively through Town & Country Compounding Pharmacy in Ramsey, NJ, which is licensed to dispense to 22 U.S. states, while insurance coverage for compounded products is typically absent and pricing is not publicly disclosed. Primary patient populations are sickle cell disease patients (FDA Orphan Drug Designation received) and osteoarthritis patients (approximately 32.5 million U.S. adults and 500 million globally). Strategic partnerships include the NHLBI/NIH for the SCD Phase 1 study, the Foundation for Sickle Cell Disease Research for clinical trial execution, CUNY for oncology, and the FDA CBER for mechanistic work. Vascarta is headquartered in Summit, New Jersey, was founded in 2020, and is led by Dr. Richard Prince (CEO), Dr. Joel Friedman (CSO), with Richard Serbin (ex-Johnson & Johnson) appointed as Chief Strategy Officer in June 2026.

Name

Vascarta

Legal name

Vascarta Inc.

Website

https://vascarta.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Vascarta is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company developing VAS-101, a patented transdermal curcumin gel (Vasporta™/Vasceptor®) for sickle cell disease and osteoarthritis, with an oncology pipeline licensed from CUNY. Pre-revenue; FDA Orphan Drug Designation secured.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Transdermal Pharmaceuticals

NAICS

Pharmaceutical Preparation Manufacturing (325412)

SIC

Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834)

akta.pro primary industry

Primary Care & General Medicine Pharmaceuticals (HLAIAAAA)

Keywords

• Transdermal drug delivery
• Curcumin therapeutics
• Sickle cell treatment
• Osteoarthritis therapy
• Pharmaceutical development

Headquarters

HQ city

Summit

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, Others

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Vascarta is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company that develops and markets prescription transdermal curcumin-based treatments (lead candidate VAS-101 / Vasceptor®) for chronic inflammatory diseases, including sickle cell disease and knee osteoarthritis, using its proprietary Vasporta™ transdermal delivery platform. The company also holds an exclusive oncology licensing platform for CUNY-derived linker chemistry drug candidates (STO-1, STO-2) targeting cancers such as glioblastoma and pancreatic cancer.

Product overview

Vascarta is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company built on a proprietary transdermal drug delivery platform (Vasporta™). The company's core product is VAS-101 (also marketed as Vasceptor®), a topical curcumin gel formulation that overcomes the poor oral bioavailability of curcumin through transdermal delivery. VAS-101 is in Phase I clinical trials for both sickle cell disease and knee osteoarthritis. Vascarta also operates an oncology licensing platform through an exclusive agreement with CUNY, developing drug candidates including STO-1 for glioblastoma and STO-2 (curcumin-Gemzar conjugate) for potential transdermal cancer treatment. The company is headquartered in Summit, New Jersey.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Vasporta™: Patented transdermal delivery platform technology designed to improve absorption, eliminate the need for injections, and overcome oral bioavailability limitations.
• Vasceptor®

Products and services

• VAS-101 (Vasceptor®) Topical Transdermal Curcumin Gel VAS-101 (also marketed as Vasceptor®) is Vascarta's lead product candidate — a prescription-only topical/transdermal curcumin gel that uses the Vasporta™ delivery platform to overcome the poor oral bioavailability of curcumin. It is being developed for sickle cell disease and knee osteoarthritis, with FDA Orphan Drug Designation in the SCD indication. The product is dispensed exclusively through Town & Country Compounding Pharmacy in Ramsey, NJ, licensed to ship to 22 U.S. states.

Quantifiable outcome

• VAS-101 users reported 39.3% feeling 'much improved' or 'very much improved' compared with 13.3% in placebo group in osteoarthritis Phase 1b trial (60 patients over 28 days)
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• FDA Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 December 2025FDA-led study demonstrated that Vascarta's transdermal curcumin formulation (VAS-101) improved cardiac mitochondrial function in a sickle cell disease mouse model by reducing oxidative stress and enhancing mitochondrial bioenergetics.
• CUNY (City University of New York)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 November 2025Collaboration for preclinical breakthrough in glioblastoma treatment using drug candidate STO-1, which selectively eliminates tumor cells in mice with high survival rate. Also collaborated to improve chemotherapy efficacy and safety through novel linker chemistry.
• National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute / National Institutes of Health (NHLBI/NIH)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Signed clinical trial agreement with Vascarta to perform Phase 1 clinical study of VAS-101 in sickle cell disease.
• Foundation for Sickle Cell Disease Research (FSCDR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClinical trial partner conducting Phase I pilot clinical trial using Vasceptor® (VAS-101) in individuals with sickle cell disease in Hollywood, Florida, USA. Patients are treated via topical and sublingual routes of administration.
• Town & Country Compounding PharmacycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorExclusive pharmacy partner for prescription fulfillment of Vascarta's topical/transdermal curcumin gel formulation. Located in Ramsey, New Jersey, licensed to ship prescription products across 22 U.S. states.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Global Blood Therapeutics (Pfizer): Acquired by Pfizer for $5.4B, GBT developed Oxbryta (voxelotor) for sickle cell disease — the same indication as Vascarta's VAS-101. GBT is the most directly comparable peer for Vascarta's sickle cell disease program and represents a realistic strategic acquirer profile.
• Emmaus Life Sciences: Small-cap commercial-stage company that developed Endari (L-glutamine), an FDA-approved therapy for sickle cell disease. Emmaus is highly comparable as a smaller company focused on sickle cell disease therapeutics and serves as a useful precedent for commercial-scale validation.
• BioDelivery Sciences International: Specialty pharmaceutical company focused on novel delivery approaches (e.g., buccal film technology) for pain and addiction. Comparable to Vascarta as a small specialty pharma using alternative drug delivery technologies to commercialize differentiated pain and CNS therapies.
• Noven Pharmaceuticals: Specialty pharmaceutical company wholly-owned by Hisamitsu, focused on transdermal drug delivery systems. Noven's expertise in patch-based delivery technology makes it a strong comparable for Vascarta's Vasporta™ transdermal platform approach.

Broad incumbents

• Vertex Pharmaceuticals: Vertex developed Casgevy (exa-cel), the first FDA-approved CRISPR gene therapy for sickle cell disease. While operating at much larger scale and with a different mechanism, Vertex is a key competitive and benchmark player in the sickle cell treatment space.
• Flexion Therapeutics (now Pacira BioSciences): Developed Zilretta (triamcinolone acetonide extended-release), an intra-articular therapy for knee osteoarthritis pain. Acquired by Pacira for ~$1B; represents a relevant precedent for successful exits in the OA pain space.
• Novartis: Developed Adakveo (crizanlizumab) for vaso-occlusive crisis prevention in sickle cell disease — the same patient population as VAS-101. As a global pharma incumbent in sickle cell, Novartis represents both a competitive threat and a potential strategic acquirer of late-stage sickle cell assets.

Emerging players

• Heron Therapeutics: Commercial-stage specialty pharma developing therapeutics for pain management and postoperative care. Comparable as a small specialty pharma targeting pain/inflammation markets with novel delivery approaches, though at a more advanced commercial stage.
• Cara Therapeutics: Clinical-stage biopharma developing novel peripherally acting kappa opioid receptor agonists for chronic pruritus and pain. Comparable to Vascarta as a small clinical-stage company developing differentiated therapies for pain and inflammation.
• Centrexion Therapeutics: Clinical-stage pharma focused on non-opioid, non-NSAID treatments for chronic pain conditions including osteoarthritis. Highly comparable target patient population and therapeutic positioning to Vascarta's VAS-101 OA program.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vascarta-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors

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 Vascarta