Telara Pharma

What Telara Pharma does

Telara Pharma is a privately held, pre-revenue biotechnology company founded in 2020 and headquartered in Barcelona, Spain, with a team of 1–10 employees. The company is developing cilastatin-based ophthalmic drops designed to provide neuroprotection for retinal ganglion cells in glaucoma patients — an approach that directly targets neurodegeneration and inflammation rather than relying solely on intraocular pressure (IOP) reduction, the mechanism of all currently marketed glaucoma therapies. The lead product candidate addresses an unmet need among the more than 40% of glaucoma patients who do not respond adequately to existing IOP-lowering medications and the 10% who progress to total blindness within 7–15 years.

Telara Pharma's core technology is the repurposing of cilastatin, a drug with a long-established safety record, into a topical ophthalmic formulation with neuroprotective properties. The company is positioning a single-asset pipeline focused on advancing this candidate through preclinical and clinical development.

Telara Pharma operates a sales/licensing-out business model intended for future commercialization: the company expects to out-license its cilastatin technology to larger pharmaceutical partners for global distribution following regulatory approval, rather than building its own commercial sales force. To date, the company has been funded through a €100,000 seed round led by GENESIS Biomed (2021), a €325,000 Neotec grant from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (February 2024), and an €841,000 public-private partnership award from the Spanish government (October 2024), with additional support from the EU NextGenerationEU programme and ENISA Emerging Company certification (May 2025). The company is co-founded by Alberto Lázaro and Jordi Ortiz (Founder & CEO).

Name

Telara Pharma

Legal name

Telara Pharma

Website

https://telarapharma.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Telara Pharma is a Barcelona-based pre-clinical biotech developing cilastatin ophthalmic drops to provide neuroprotection for retinal ganglion cells in glaucoma patients unresponsive to current IOP-lowering therapies, with a planned out-licensing business model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ophthalmic Pharmaceuticals

SIC

Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834)

akta.pro primary industry

Ophthalmology Specialty Pharmaceuticals (HLAIACAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Ophthalmology Pharmaceuticals (HLAIAAAL)

Keywords

• Ophthalmic drug development
• Glaucoma therapeutics
• Retinal neuroprotection
• Cilastatin repurposing
• Preclinical biotechnology

Headquarters

HQ city

Madrid

HQ country

Spain

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 Licensing: As a pre-revenue biotech company in the drug development stage, Telara Pharma's primary anticipated revenue model is pharmaceutical licensing - out-licensing cilastatin technology to larger pharmaceutical companies for commercialization upon successful clinical development and regulatory approval.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Telara Pharma is a preclinical-stage biotechnology company developing cilastatin-based ophthalmic drops designed to provide neuroprotection for retinal ganglion cells in glaucoma patients. The drug candidate targets retinal neurodegeneration and inflammation directly, offering an alternative to existing therapies that focus solely on reducing intraocular pressure (IOP). The company is advancing this single asset through its pipeline with the goal of out-licensing the technology to larger pharmaceutical companies for commercialization upon regulatory approval.

Product overview

Telara Pharma is a biotech company developing a single innovative therapeutic product: Cilastatin ophthalmic drops. This neuroprotective drug candidate targets retinal ganglion cell damage in glaucoma patients, representing a novel approach that addresses neurodegeneration and inflammation rather than merely reducing intraocular pressure. The company focuses exclusively on advancing this cilastatin-based therapy through its pipeline.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cilastatin Ophthalmic Drops

Quantifiable outcome

• Targeting >40% of glaucoma patients who do not respond to current medications
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Alcon: Alcon is the largest pure-play ophthalmic company globally with a major glaucoma surgical and pharmaceutical franchise (and now Aerie's portfolio). It is a primary potential licensing partner for Telara and benchmark for global ophthalmic commercialization.
• AbbVie (Allergan Aesthetics/Eye Care): AbbVie acquired Allergan and inherited a major glaucoma pharmaceutical franchise (Lumigan, Alphagan, Combigan). It is a relevant incumbent with deep neuroprotection R&D history (memantine program) and a likely potential licensing partner.
• Santen Pharmaceutical: Santen is a Japanese global specialty ophthalmic pharmaceutical company with a broad glaucoma portfolio (including tapcom and other IOP-lowering agents). It is a likely future licensing partner for Telara and a benchmark for what a scaled ophthalmic specialty pharma looks like.
• Bausch + Lomb: Bausch + Lomb (Bausch Health) is a major global ophthalmic pharmaceutical and device company with an established glaucoma franchise. It is a likely licensing acquirer and benchmark for commercialization scale in the ophthalmic space.
• Novartis (Ophthalmology): Novartis has a sizable ophthalmology division (formerly Alcon spinoff, retaining certain ophthalmic pharma assets including Xiidra) and continues to be active in retinal and glaucoma therapeutics, making it a credible potential acquirer or licensing partner.

Direct peers

• Nicox: Nicox is a European specialty ophthalmic pharmaceutical company developing therapeutics for glaucoma and other eye diseases. It is a direct peer given its glaucoma focus and similar positioning as a small-cap European ophthalmic specialty pharma pursuing licensing partnerships.
• Aerie Pharmaceuticals: Aerie was a US glaucoma-focused specialty pharma (Rocklatan/Rhopressa) acquired by Alcon. It is a direct peer given its pure-play glaucoma focus and its eventual licensing/M&A exit to a larger ophthalmic player — a plausible template for Telara's commercial path.
• Ocular Therapeutix: Ocular Therapeutix is a US specialty ophthalmic pharma developing sustained-release drug delivery for glaucoma and other eye diseases. It is a direct peer given its focus on novel ocular drug delivery formats and glaucoma as a primary indication.
• EyePoint Pharmaceuticals: EyePoint Pharmaceuticals is a specialty ophthalmic pharma focused on sustained-release ocular drug delivery for retinal and other eye diseases. It is comparable given its ophthalmic drug delivery focus and small-cap specialty pharma model.

Emerging players

• Galimedix Therapeutics: Galimedix is an emerging ophthalmology company developing novel neuroprotective therapies for glaucoma and retinal diseases. It is a direct emerging peer pursuing neuroprotection — the same mechanism category as Telara's cilastatin program.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TelaraPharma/status/1859958485095743913
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/telarapharma

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Telara Pharma