KalVista Pharmaceuticals launched with 8 million funding to develop drugs for diabetic macular edema

With backing from life sciences investors Novo A/S and SV Life Sciences, KalVista Pharmaceuticals, a new ophthalmology company with a focus on diabetic macular edema (DME) and based in Southampton, UK, has raised £8 million ($13.3 million) in a series A financing round.

The company is developing novel, small-molecule plasma kallikrein inhibitors, which represent a new approach to the treatment of DME, a leading cause of adult visual loss in developed countries and a major unmet medical need. KalVista’s advanced preclinical product pipeline is targeting both intravitreal injection and oral administration routes. KalVista acquired these inhibitors plus all relevant intellectual property from Vantia Therapeutics.

Co-founded by ophthalmology/diabetes experts