- Business
- Aelis Farma SA (AELIS.PA), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company founded in 2013 and headquartered in Bordeaux, France, develops signaling specific inhibitors of the CB1 receptor (CB1-SSi) to treat brain and peripheral diseases with unmet medical needs; its lead candidates include AEF0117, a first-in-class drug in Phase 2 for cannabis use disorders (CUD) that reduces cannabis consumption in motivated patients without the adverse effects of traditional CB1 antagonists, and AEF0217, in Phase 2 for cognitive deficits associated with Down syndrome that improves adaptive behaviors in communication, daily living skills, and social interactions while normalizing excessive brain activity; the company also advances a pipeline of novel CB1-SSi targeting obesity, metabolic disorders, fibrosis, PTSD, autism spectrum disorders, and 22q11 deletion syndrome through its proprietary screening platform housed at the IECB lab facility in Pessac, France. Aelis Farma operates primarily in Europe with multicenter clinical trials across France, Italy, and Spain, drawing on over 25 employees and partnerships such as a prior license option agreement with Indivior PLC for AEF0117 and a recent consultancy with Straat Development for business development. Recent developments include a successful 4.5 million euro capital increase in July 2024 to expand its shareholder base and accelerate new CB1-SSi families for obesity-related indications, relocation of its discovery lab to a state-of-the-art 200 square meter facility at IECB in April 2024, publication of final positive Phase 2b analyses for AEF0117 in March 2025 confirming pharmacological activity, positive Phase 1/2 results for AEF0217 in November 2024 enabling a multicenter Phase 2b trial launch in late 2025 with regulatory approval secured, preclinical proof-of-concept for new obesity compounds, two 3 million euro loans in 2024 boosting cash to 14 million euros at year-end for visibility into late 2026, and a cash position of 10.8 million euros as of June 2025 extended to early 2028 through cost optimizations and non-dilutive funding pursuits.