Small Pharma
Helus Pharma (formerly Small Pharma) is a pre-revenue, London-based clinical-stage biotech developing novel serotonergic agonist therapies for mental health conditions, with lead candidate CYB004 in Phase 2 trials for Generalized Anxiety Disorder and publicly listed on NASDAQ under HELP.
- Company typePublic
- Founded-
- Headquarters—
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Small Pharma does
Helus Pharma (formerly Small Pharma, founded 2015) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company headquartered in London, UK, developing next-generation therapies for mental health conditions through a proprietary platform of novel serotonergic agonists (NSAs). Its core technology consists of synthetic molecules engineered to activate serotonin pathways believed to promote neuroplasticity, paired with novel delivery formulations intended to reduce inter-individual variability in acute effects and shorten clinic time. The pipeline is led by CYB004, currently in Phase 2 trials for Generalized Anxiety Disorder following completed enrollment, alongside two additional lead programs, HLP003 and HLP004. The intended end customers are patients with treatment-resistant mental health conditions — primarily anxiety disorders and major depressive disorder — who would access the therapy through prescription pharmaceutical channels upon regulatory approval.
The business model is a traditional clinical-stage biotech GTM: advance candidates through clinical trials to FDA approval, then commercialize via prescription-based pharmaceutical distribution (pharmacies, hospitals, healthcare providers). The company is explicitly pre-revenue, with no commercialized products and no disclosed pricing; revenue mechanics will be one-time prescription drug sales following approval. Intellectual property is the primary non-pipeline asset, with 350+ pending patent applications and 100+ granted patents covering the NSA platform and delivery formulations. The company is publicly traded on NASDAQ and CBOE Canada under ticker HELP, providing capital-markets funding access in lieu of product revenue.
Leadership includes newly appointed CEO Michael Halstead, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman Eric So (previously interim CEO), Chief Medical Officer Amir Inamdar, Chief Scientific Officer Alex Nivorozhkin, and Scientific Advisory Committee Chair Freda Lewis-Hall. Scientific leadership's cited credentials — experience overseeing 60+ IND programs and developing 10+ blockbuster drugs — reflect prior industry experience rather than Helus Pharma's internal commercial track record, which is nonexistent given its pre-revenue status. Operations are described via firmographics as a small team (~11 employees), though the breadth of clinical programs and dual-exchange listing imply a broader operational footprint than this headcount suggests.
Small Pharma firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Small Pharma
- Legal name
- Helus Pharma
- Website
- https://smallpharma.com
- Company type
- Public
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Helus Pharma (formerly Small Pharma) is a pre-revenue, London-based clinical-stage biotech developing novel serotonergic agonist therapies for mental health conditions, with lead candidate CYB004 in Phase 2 trials for Generalized Anxiety Disorder and publicly listed on NASDAQ under HELP.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Small Pharma business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations
Revenue model
- Pharmaceutical Drug Sales (Future): Pre-revenue clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company. Revenue expected to be generated from commercialized prescription drugs following successful clinical trials and regulatory approvals. Current drug programs include CYB004 (Phase 2 for Generalized Anxiety Disorder), HLP003, and HLP004.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels3 records
Small Pharma product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Small Pharma is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that discovers and develops novel serotonergic agonists (NSAs) for the treatment of mental health conditions. Its lead programs — HLP003 (targeting depression) and HLP004 (targeting anxiety) — leverage proprietary novel formulation technology designed to enable alternative delivery routes such as subcutaneous and inhaled administration, aiming to improve patient experience and accessibility over traditional psychedelic therapies.
Product overview
Helus Pharma is a pharmaceutical company pioneering next-generation mental health therapies through a proprietary drug development platform that creates novel serotonergic agonists. The company's portfolio includes two lead drug programs (HLP003 and HLP004), with CYB004 currently in Phase 2 trials for Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Their technology platform focuses on synthetic molecules designed to activate serotonin pathways to promote neuroplasticity.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- HLP003
Quantifiable outcome
- Completed enrollment in Phase 2 study evaluating CYB004 for Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Companies that use Small Pharma
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Small Pharma technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Small Pharma partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Small Pharma competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Axsome Therapeutics: Commercial-stage CNS company with FDA-approved Auvelity for depression and additional pipeline assets. Comparable as a CNS-focused company with novel-mechanism therapies targeting depression and other mental health conditions, providing a useful proxy for what a successful Helus Pharma could look like at commercialization.
Broad incumbents
- Sage Therapeutics: Established CNS-focused biopharma with FDA-approved Zurzuvae for postpartum depression and pipeline in depression/epilepsy. Comparable as a more advanced CNS biotech with novel-mechanism therapies, similar regulatory pathway experience, and overlapping mental health target indications.
- Johnson & Johnson: Global pharmaceutical company with established mental health franchise including Spravato (esketamine) for treatment-resistant depression. Comparable as a key competitor and potential acquirer/partner, with deep commercial infrastructure in mental health and experience launching clinic-administered CNS therapies.
- Eli Lilly: Major pharmaceutical company with extensive mental health portfolio including Cymbalta, Prozac, and emerging depression therapies. Comparable as a broad incumbent that defines the competitive landscape in mental health and serves as both a potential partner and primary competitive threat.
- Pfizer: Global pharmaceutical company with established CNS franchise including previous SSRI/SNRI products and active interest in mental health pipeline assets. Comparable as a potential strategic acquirer with deep CNS commercial capabilities and resources to in-license or acquire novel-mechanism mental health therapies.
Direct peers
- GH Research: Clinical-stage company developing novel serotonergic-based therapies (specifically mebufotenin and other 5-HT2A agonists) for depression. Highly comparable as a publicly-traded biotech pursuing serotonergic mechanisms for treatment-resistant depression with Phase 2/3 assets.
- ATAI Life Sciences: Clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing psychedelic and complementary therapies for mental health. Comparable platform-company model with multiple programs in mental health, similar trial-stage assets, and overlapping target indications like depression and anxiety.
- MindMed: Clinical-stage psychedelic medicine company developing novel therapies for anxiety, depression, and ADHD. Comparable as a publicly-traded CNS biotech with multiple serotonergic-pathway programs in clinical development targeting similar mental health indications.
- Compass Pathways: Clinical-stage mental health company developing psilocybin therapy for treatment-resistant depression. Highly comparable to Helus Pharma as another publicly-listed CNS biotech pursuing novel-mechanism therapies with psychedelic-adjacent mechanisms, Phase 2/3 assets, and similar GTM motion targeting FDA approval.
- Cybin Inc. Clinical-stage psychedelic therapeutics company with multiple programs in depression and anxiety. Comparable publicly-listed CNS biotech with similar mechanism work, pipeline approach, and target indications. Notably, Cybin acquired Small Pharma (whose firmographic footprint appears in the dataset).
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Small Pharma social profiles
Digital presenceSmall Pharma financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Small Pharma leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Small Pharma funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Small Pharma 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 Small Pharma
What does Small Pharma do?
Small Pharma is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that discovers and develops novel serotonergic agonists (NSAs) for the treatment of mental health conditions. Its lead programs — HLP003 (targeting depression) and HLP004 (targeting anxiety) — leverage proprietary novel formulation technology designed to enable alternative delivery routes such as subcutaneous and inhaled administration, aiming to improve patient experience and accessibility over traditional psychedelic therapies.
Is Small Pharma a public or private company?
Small Pharma is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was Small Pharma founded?
Small Pharma was founded in -1. It employs 11 to 50 people.
How does Small Pharma make money?
One revenue line is on record: pharmaceutical Drug Sales (Future).
Who are Small Pharma's main competitors?
Axsome Therapeutics is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Sage Therapeutics, Johnson & Johnson, Eli Lilly and Pfizer. Direct peers are GH Research, ATAI Life Sciences, MindMed, Compass Pathways and Cybin Inc..
Does Small Pharma have an API?
No public API is recorded for Small Pharma.