What Pharmos does

Pharmos is a biopharmaceutical company founded in 1987 that historically discovered and developed novel therapeutics for neurological, inflammatory, and autoimmune disorders, anchored by a proprietary library of CB2-selective synthetic cannabinoid compounds (Cannabinor/PRS-211,375, PRS-639,058), a NanoEmulsion topical drug delivery platform (100–200nm droplet size delivering 60–80x higher tissue concentration vs. oral), and the homophthalazine-based candidate Dextofisopam for diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome. Its lead IBS asset operates through a non-serotonergic brain-gut axis mechanism intended to avoid the safety profile issues that caused withdrawal of Lotronex and Zelnorm. Historically headquartered in Iselin, New Jersey with research operations in Rehovot, Israel, the company monetized its ophthalmology assets (Zylet, Lotemax, Alrex) via a 2001 sale to Bausch & Lomb, generating a $12.1M milestone in 2005 plus contingent royalties.

The business model combines (1) a B2B clinical-stage drug licensing pipeline seeking pharmaceutical partners for development and commercialization, with active deals including Cowen and Burrill engagements to out-license Dextofisopam, and (2) a B2C online pharmacy channel operated as "My Canadian Pharmacy" (Pharmoscorp.com) selling generic pharmaceuticals, health supplements, and personal care products direct-to-consumer with international shipping. Following a failed Phase III dexanabinol program (2004), a partial primary endpoint miss for Dextofisopam Phase 2b (2009), Nasdaq delisting and going-concern audit opinions in 2008–2009, the cessation of Israeli operations in 2008, and a $1.8M distress private placement in April 2009, the company currently operates with 1–10 employees and no recurring product revenue, leaving pipeline assets unpartnered and the entity effectively in a maintenance/distressed posture.

Name

Pharmos

Legal name

Pharmos Corporation

Website

https://pharmoscorp.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Pharmos is a small biopharmaceutical company (1–10 employees) historically developing CB2-selective cannabinoid therapeutics, Dextofisopam for IBS, and NanoEmulsion drug delivery, now operating an online pharmacy storefront following financial distress and Nasdaq delisting.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Biopharmaceutical Therapeutics

NAICS

Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing (3254), Pharmaceutical Preparation Manufacturing (325412), Pharmacies and Drug Retailers (456110)

SIC

Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834), Retail-Drug Stores And Proprietary Stores (5912)

akta.pro primary industry

Neurology & CNS Specialty Pharmaceuticals (HLAIACAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Connected Therapeutics & Smart Drug Delivery Monitoring (HLACAFAL), Neurology & Psychiatry (CNS) Pharmaceuticals (HLAIAAAF), Pharmacy & Health Essentials Delivery (CRAFAFAI)

Keywords

• Biopharmaceutical drug discovery
• Synthetic cannabinoid therapeutics
• Irritable bowel syndrome drugs
• Topical drug delivery platforms
• Online pharmacy retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Iselin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Drug Development and Licensing: Pharmos discovers and develops novel therapeutics targeting neurological and inflammatory disorders. Revenue is generated through milestone payments from licensing agreements, eventual product commercialization, and royalty payments from partnered products.
2. Online Pharmacy Sales (My Canadian Pharmacy): Consumer-facing online pharmacy offering generic pharmaceuticals including erectile dysfunction medications, health supplements, and personal care products. Customers purchase directly through the website with products shipped internationally.
3. Zylet and Loteprednol Products: Received milestone payments from Bausch & Lomb for ophthalmology products including Zylet, Lotemax, and Alrex. Company sold loteprednol etabonate business to Bausch & Lomb in 2001 but retains milestone payment streams.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Pharmos discovers and develops novel therapeutics targeting neurological and inflammatory disorders through a proprietary pipeline of synthetic CB2-selective cannabinoid compounds (Cannabinor, PRS-639,058), the homophthalazine compound Dextofisopam for IBS, and a NanoEmulsion drug delivery platform for topical formulations. The company also operates a direct-to-consumer online pharmacy (My Canadian Pharmacy and Mexican Pharmacy) selling generic and brand-name pharmaceuticals including erectile dysfunction medications, health supplements, and personal care products with international shipping.

Product overview

Pharmos Corporation is a pharmaceutical/biotechnology company that discovers and develops novel therapeutics primarily focused on neurological and inflammatory disorders. The company operates two main divisions: (1) Drug Discovery & Development - advancing synthetic cannabinoid compounds including CB2-selective agonists (Cannabinor, PRS-639,058) for pain and autoimmune diseases, and homophthalazine compounds (Dextofisopam) for IBS; and (2) My Canadian Pharmacy - an online pharmacy platform. Key pipeline products include Cannabinor (Phase 2, pain indications), Dextofisopam (Phase 2b completed, IBS), and Dexanabinol (Phase 2a completed, cognitive impairment). The company also developed the NanoEmulsion drug delivery technology for topical formulations and owns rights to S-Tofisopam for gout. Historical products include Zylet (ophthalmology, licensed to Bausch & Lomb).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cannabinor: CB2-selective synthetic cannabinoid drug candidate for pain treatment, formerly referred to as PRS-211,375
• Dextofisopam
• PRS-639,058
• NanoEmulsion
• Zylet

Products and services

• Cannabinor (PRS-211,375) Synthetic CB2-selective agonist and lead clinical drug candidate in Phase 2 clinical testing as an analgesic for treating nociceptive, neuropathic, visceral, and inflammatory pain. Demonstrated efficacy in preclinical models of multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and inflammatory bowel disease with water-soluble formulation enabling both IV and oral administration.
• Dextofisopam (R-tofisopam) Lead product for diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-d). Non-serotonergic agent and R-enantiomer of racemic tofisopam, belonging to the homophthalazine class. Novel first-in-class molecule with unique mechanism targeting brain-gut axis through autonomic function regulation rather than 5-HT3 or 5-HT4 pathways. Achieved 57% response rate in Phase 2a and 56% response at 200mg dose in Phase 2b trial on primary endpoint of overall adequate relief vs placebo.
• Dexanabinol (HU-211) Neuroprotective drug candidate from tricyclic dextrocannabinoid platform technology operating through pathways other than cannabinoid signaling. Evaluated in Phase IIa trials for prevention of cognitive impairment following coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery.
• PRS-639,058 Second-generation CB2-selective drug candidate. Small synthetic molecule with improved drugability (solubility, metabolism, oral bioavailability) and negligible central side effects. Orally active in animal models of neuropathic pain and autoimmune disease, designed to overcome obstacles including poor drugability, low oral bioavailability, and central mediated side effects of earlier cannabinoid compounds.
• S-Tofisopam S-enantiomer of racemic tofisopam. Clinical studies have shown it lowers uric acid, indicating potential for development as a treatment for gout. Pending patent application covering uric acid reduction use.
• NanoEmulsion Drug Delivery Technology Proprietary topical drug delivery system using submicron solvent-free oil-in-water emulsions with droplet sizes of 100-200nm. Enables enhanced transdermal delivery of lipophilic drugs achieving 60-80 fold higher drug concentration in muscle tissue and 9 fold higher in joints compared to oral administration, while minimizing systemic side effects. Portfolio of patents covering novel NanoEmulsion formulations as vehicles for lipophilic drugs.
• Zylet Combination anti-inflammatory and antibiotic ophthalmology product (0.5% loteprednol etabonate and 0.3% tobramycin) for treating steroid-responsive inflammatory ocular conditions. Developed by Pharmos; commercial rights licensed to Bausch & Lomb. Pharmos retains milestone and royalty streams.
• My Canadian Pharmacy Online pharmacy platform offering generic and brand-name pharmaceuticals including Viagra (Canadian generic and brand-name variants) and alternatives. Provides pricing information, discount programs, free shipping thresholds (50+ tablets), 5-15% regular customer discounts, money-back guarantees, and customer testimonials for pharmaceutical products with international shipping.

Quantifiable outcome

• Dextofisopam achieved 57% response rate in Phase 2a and 56% response rate for 200mg dose in Phase 2b trial on primary endpoint of overall adequate relief vs placebo
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered major.

• Vela Pharmaceuticals Inc.majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 March 2006Pharmos acquired Vela Pharmaceuticals in 2006 for $5 million cash plus 11.5 million shares (~$29.7 million value) plus up to 8 million additional shares contingent on clinical milestones. Acquisition added Dextofisopam (R-tofisopam) for IBS and VPI-013 for depression/HSDD to pipeline. Vela shareholders approved transaction in October 2006.
• Bausch & LombmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 January 2005Former marketing partner for ophthalmology products. Pharmos sold loteprednol etabonate business to Bausch & Lomb in 2001. Received $12.1 million gross milestone payment for Zylet launch with potential additional $10 million based on future sales. Company retains interest in ophthalmology franchise through milestone and royalty streams.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Zynerba Pharmaceuticals: Cannabinoid-based transdermal therapies for neuropsychiatric conditions including Fragile X and epilepsy. Direct peer based on synthetic cannabinoid development and transdermal drug delivery, overlapping with Pharmos' NanoEmulsion and CB2 platform.
• Corcept Therapeutics: Small-cap pharma developing CNS-penetrant therapies (Korlym for Cushing's syndrome, oncology pipeline). Comparable to Pharmos' CNS specialty pharma positioning and similarly small market-cap profile with single-asset-driven valuation.
• Cara Therapeutics: Clinical-stage biopharma developing peripherally-restricted kappa opioid receptor agonists for pain and pruritus. Comparable to Pharmos in mission (CNS-side-effect-free pain therapeutics), pipeline stage, and small-cap specialty pharma structure.
• Ironwood Pharmaceuticals: Specialty GI pharma behind Linzess/linaclotide for IBS-C and chronic constipation. Most directly comparable to Pharmos' Dextofisopam IBS-d program in indication, market, and small-cap specialty GI pharma positioning.
• GW Pharmaceuticals: Developed cannabinoid-based therapeutics (Sativex, Epidiolex) targeting CNS and pain indications. Direct peer to Pharmos' CB2-selective cannabinoid platform with overlapping therapeutic areas (multiple sclerosis, neuropathic pain) and similar mechanism-based differentiation strategy.

Broad incumbents

• Salix Pharmaceuticals: Established specialty pharma focused on gastrointestinal disorders (IBS, hepatic encephalopathy, ulcerative colitis). Comparable to Pharmos in GI therapeutic focus via Dextofisopam but a much larger, more diversified incumbent player.
• Indivior: Specialty CNS pharma focused on addiction and schizophrenia. Comparable to Pharmos in CNS specialty pharma positioning and small-cap distress/recovery dynamic; relevant comparator for partnerships in CNS indications.
• Arena Pharmaceuticals: Developed targeted therapeutics for GI, immunology, and CNS conditions including IBS-related programs. Comparable to Pharmos for GI pipeline focus and clinical-stage specialty pharma structure, but with broader portfolio.

Others

• Asterias Biotherapeutics: Listed as an investor in Pharmos and operates in regenerative medicine/cell therapy. Direct historical relationship to Pharmos (minority stake, board overlap) and adjacent biotech profile for a comparable small-cap clinical-stage analysis.

Emerging players

• Theravance Biopharma: Specialty biopharma with GI and CNS-adjacent programs (e.g., Vibegron, Izencitinib for GI motility/IBS). Comparable peer for emerging specialty biopharma focused on GI indications and CNS-adjacent novel-mechanism pipeline assets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pharmos-corporation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 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 Pharmos