Laurent Pharmaceuticals
Laurent Pharmaceuticals is a Montreal-based, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing LAU-7b, an oral fenretinide formulation in Phase 2 for cystic fibrosis. It is pre-revenue, relies on grants and angel capital, and pursues licensing partnerships with larger pharmaceutical companies.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersMontréal, Canada
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Laurent Pharmaceuticals does
Laurent Pharmaceuticals Inc. is a privately held, Montreal-based biopharmaceutical company founded in 2012 that develops LAU-7b, a novel oral formulation of fenretinide targeting cystic fibrosis and related degenerative conditions. LAU-7b is a small-molecule drug candidate in Phase 2 clinical development that modulates multiple molecular pathways involved in inflammation, fibrosis, and degeneration through a dual retinoid and non-retinoid mechanism; the company positions it as the first drug in its class for the resolution of inflammation. Phase 2 results published in the Journal of Cystic Fibrosis in 2024 demonstrated evidence of lung function preservation in adults with cystic fibrosis, supporting continued clinical development.
The company's business model is that of a clinical-stage biotech: it is pre-revenue, with no commercial product, and relies on non-dilutive grants (notably from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in 2016, 2018, and 2019 and from the Government of Quebec in 2019), angel networks (Aligo Innovation, Anges Québec, AQC Capital, Keiretsu Forum, RSJ Investments), and is increasingly pursuing strategic partnerships and licensing deals with larger pharmaceutical companies as the planned path to commercialization. The go-to-market motion centers on participation in major biotech partnering conferences (BioEurope, Biotech Showcase, BIO Partnering @JPM Week) to advance LAU-7b toward a partnership or licensing transaction.
The operating team is small (1-10 employees) and led by co-founders Radu Pislariu (President and CEO, former life-sciences investment professional at iNovia Capital and MSBi Valorisation) and Patrick Colin (Acting Chief Development Officer, with 15 prior market approvals across the US, Canada, Europe, and Australia). The leadership and board also include senior pharma veterans with relevant experience: a former Vertex toxicologist supporting VX-809 (lumacaftor) and VX-661 (tezacaftor) cystic fibrosis programs, and a Chairman (Yves Rosconi) who previously served as CEO of Theratechnologies and held senior roles at Rhône-Poulenc Rorer, Æterna Laboratories, and Aventis.
Laurent Pharmaceuticals firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Laurent Pharmaceuticals
- Legal name
- Laurent Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
- Website
- https://laurentpharma.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Laurent Pharmaceuticals is a Montreal-based, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing LAU-7b, an oral fenretinide formulation in Phase 2 for cystic fibrosis. It is pre-revenue, relies on grants and angel capital, and pursues licensing partnerships with larger pharmaceutical companies.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Laurent Pharmaceuticals industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Respiratory Pharmaceuticals
- NAICS
- Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)
- SIC
- Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834)
- akta.pro primary industry
- CMC & Pharmaceutical Development (Formulation/Process/Analytical Development) (HLAIALAD)
Keywords
Where Laurent Pharmaceuticals is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Montréal
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Laurent Pharmaceuticals business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Drug Development and Commercialization: Pre-revenue clinical-stage biotech company. Expected revenue streams include licensing deals, strategic partnerships, and eventual product sales upon regulatory approval of LAU-7b for cystic fibrosis and potentially other degenerative conditions.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Laurent Pharmaceuticals product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Laurent Pharmaceuticals is developing LAU-7b, a novel proprietary oral formulation of fenretinide (an atypical retinoid) currently in Phase 2 clinical trials for cystic fibrosis. The candidate simultaneously modulates multiple molecular pathways involved in inflammation, fibrosis, and degeneration through a dual retinoid and non-retinoid mechanism. The company is pre-revenue and intends to commercialize through licensing and strategic partnerships with larger pharmaceutical companies upon regulatory approval.
Product overview
Laurent Pharmaceuticals is a single-product biotech company in advanced clinical stage, focused exclusively on developing LAU-7b, an oral small molecule drug candidate currently in Phase 2 clinical development. LAU-7b (oral fenretinide) is a novel proprietary formulation targeting inflammation, fibrosis, and degeneration pathways for treating cystic fibrosis and potentially other degenerative respiratory conditions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- LAU-7b Novel proprietary oral formulation of fenretinide (an atypical retinoid) in Phase 2 clinical development for cystic fibrosis; targets multiple molecular pathways involved in inflammation, fibrosis, and degeneration via dual retinoid and non-retinoid mechanisms. Intended for adults with cystic fibrosis and potentially other degenerative respiratory conditions.
Quantifiable outcome
- Phase 2 study published in Journal of Cystic Fibrosis demonstrated efficacy and safety of LAU-7b in adults with cystic fibrosis, with evidence of lung function preservation supporting further development.
Companies that use Laurent Pharmaceuticals
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Laurent Pharmaceuticals technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Laurent Pharmaceuticals partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Laurent Pharmaceuticals competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- AbbVie: Global pharmaceutical company with established respiratory, immunology, and fibrosis franchises, and a history of late-stage dealmaking — a natural potential partner for an inflammation/fibrosis CF asset.
- Vertex Pharmaceuticals: Vertex dominates the cystic fibrosis market with the Trikafta/Kaftrio franchise of CFTR modulators, setting the efficacy standard of care that any new CF therapy like LAU-7b must outperform or complement.
- Boehringer Ingelheim: Major pharmaceutical company with a large respiratory and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis franchise, representing a potential strategic acquirer or partner for Laurent given its CF and respiratory pipeline interest.
Emerging players
- Corbus Pharmaceuticals: Clinical-stage biotech developing therapeutics targeting inflammation and fibrosis — overlapping pathway focus with LAU-7b's inflammation/fibrosis mechanism, comparable as a small-cap clinical biotech in the same therapeutic biology.
- AnaptysBio: Clinical-stage immunology biotech developing therapeutics for inflammatory diseases — comparable as a small-cap clinical biotech addressing inflammation pathways overlapping with LAU-7b's mechanism.
Direct peers
- ProQR Therapeutics: Clinical-stage biotech developing Axiomer RNA editing technology with applications in cystic fibrosis, comparable to Laurent as a similarly-sized peer pursuing novel CF mechanism-based therapies.
- Arcturus Therapeutics: Clinical-stage RNA medicines company with a CF development program including inhaled mRNA therapeutics, directly comparable as a peer pursuing a novel modality approach to cystic fibrosis lung disease.
- Insmed: Commercial-stage biotech developing inhaled antibiotics for chronic lung conditions including CF-related infections, comparable as a respiratory-focused company addressing CF lung disease progression.
- Eloxx Pharmaceuticals: Clinical-stage biotech developing small-molecule readthrough agents for cystic fibrosis, directly comparable to Laurent as a similarly-sized Phase 2 CF-focused company pursuing novel mechanisms in the same patient population.
- Translate Bio (Sanofi): Developed mRNA-based therapeutics for cystic fibrosis and was acquired by Sanofi in 2021 — a relevant precedent for clinical-stage CF biotechs being acquired for their novel CF modality pipeline.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Laurent Pharmaceuticals social profiles
Digital presenceLaurent Pharmaceuticals financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Laurent Pharmaceuticals leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Laurent Pharmaceuticals funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds7 records
Investors8 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Laurent Pharmaceuticals M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Laurent Pharmaceuticals
What does Laurent Pharmaceuticals do?
Laurent Pharmaceuticals is developing LAU-7b, a novel proprietary oral formulation of fenretinide (an atypical retinoid) currently in Phase 2 clinical trials for cystic fibrosis. The candidate simultaneously modulates multiple molecular pathways involved in inflammation, fibrosis, and degeneration through a dual retinoid and non-retinoid mechanism. The company is pre-revenue and intends to commercialize through licensing and strategic partnerships with larger pharmaceutical companies upon regulatory approval.
Is Laurent Pharmaceuticals a public or private company?
Laurent Pharmaceuticals is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Laurent Pharmaceuticals founded?
Laurent Pharmaceuticals was founded in 2012. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Laurent Pharmaceuticals based?
Laurent Pharmaceuticals is headquartered in Montréal, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Laurent Pharmaceuticals make money?
One revenue line is on record: drug Development and Commercialization.
Who are Laurent Pharmaceuticals's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are AbbVie, Vertex Pharmaceuticals and Boehringer Ingelheim. Emerging players are Corbus Pharmaceuticals and AnaptysBio. Direct peers are ProQR Therapeutics, Arcturus Therapeutics, Insmed, Eloxx Pharmaceuticals and Translate Bio (Sanofi).
Does Laurent Pharmaceuticals have an API?
No public API is recorded for Laurent Pharmaceuticals.
What industry is Laurent Pharmaceuticals in?
Laurent Pharmaceuticals's product category is Respiratory Pharmaceuticals. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAIALAD, CMC & Pharmaceutical Development (Formulation/Process/Analytical Development). Its NAICS code is 541714 and its SIC code is 2834.