Vanda Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: VNDA) is a biopharmaceutical company based in Washington, DC, principally focused on the development and commercialization of products for the treatment of central nervous system disorders. CEO Mihales Polymeropoulos founded Vanda in 2003. Previously, he founded and ran the Novartis global Pharmacogenetics department. He founded Vanda in partnership with Care Capital LLC, the prominent biopharmaceuticals-focused investment firm, and Bio*One Capital, an investment arm of the Singapore government with a focus on new biomedical enterprises.

Lead product

Tasimelteon, proposed trade name Hetlioz, is an oral compound in Phase III development for Non-24-Hour Disorder (Non-24), a circadian rhythm disorder with orphan designation in the US and Europe. Tasimelteon is a circadian regulator that resets the master body clock in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus in the brain. Tasimelteon’s ability to reset the master body clock in the SCN has been shown to synchronize the body’s melatonin and cortisol circadian rhythms with the day/night cycle and to provide clinically meaningful benefits to patients with Non-24.

Fanapt (iloperidone) is an atypical antipsychotic for the treatment of schizophrenia in adults. Fanapt is a serotonin (5-HT2) receptor and dopamine receptor antagonist. Vanda has licensed Fanapt to Novartis AG in the US and Canada, and has multiple commercial partners ex-US. Fanapt has been granted Market Approval in the USA, Israel and Argentina and is under regulatory review in Mexico.

Pipeline

Fanapt (iloperidone) is an atypical antipsychotic for the treatment of schizophrenia in adults. Fanapt is a serotonin (5-HT2) receptor and dopamine receptor antagonist. Vanda has licensed Fanapt to Novartis AG in the US and Canada, and has multiple commercial partners ex-US Fanapt has been granted Market Approval in the US, Israel and Argentina and is under regulatory review in Mexico.

Vanda is also developing tradipitant, which has shown potential in SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pneumonia. An interim analysis of the Phase III ODYSSEY study demonstrated that hospitalized patients with COVID-19 pneumonia improved sooner when treated with tradipitant as compared to placebo.