Medical device specialist Nebu~Flow secures £1.7m investment
10th May, 2022
Medical device specialist Nebu~Flow has secured an oversubscribed £1.7 million investment round led by Foresight Williams Technology, a joint venture between Foresight Group and Williams Advanced Technology. Science Creates Ventures, Ascension Life Fund, and SIS Ventures also participated in the investment round, aimed at furthering the commercialisation and delivery of next generation respiratory pharmaceuticals.
Nebu~Flow’s nebuliser has been developed to provide a number of advantages over existing technologies in a global nebuliser market valued at over $1 billion*. Overall, the worldwide inhalable drug market is estimated to worth over $43 billion** in 2022. The company was co-founded by CEO Dr Elijah Nazarzadeh to address the challenges in drug delivery for respiratory disorders, which are the main cause of death and disability worldwide. Nazarzadeh led research into the development and commercialisation of nebuliser technology at the University of Glasgow, before founding Nebu~Flow as a spin-out company in 2019.
Dr Elijah Nazarzadeh, CEO and co-founder of Nebu~Flow, said: “Our technology enables efficient respiratory delivery of a wider range of drugs that are hard to nebulise. Many of these drugs, like biologics, are potentially lifesaving. We are pleased to have the support of Foresight and our other investors, whose ambitions for the business are very much aligned with our own.”
The company believes its technology could also potentially help deliver cutting-edge treatments including in areas like gene therapy, while improving outcomes for patients with life limiting conditions such as cystic fibrosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Bill Yost, Investment Manager at Foresight, commented: “We are excited to announce our support for such a forward thinking and innovative business. Nebu~Flow’s development of delivery mechanisms tailored to specific drugs represents an opportunity to expand the market and improve patient outcomes. Foresight Williams Technology’s expertise will offer significant value as the company develops its products, and we look forward to working with the team at Nebu~Flow during the next stage of their growth.”
Dr John Pritchard was recently appointed as Nebu~Flow ’s chair. He brings over 25 years’ of experience working with GSK, AstraZeneca, Philips, where he was involved in the delivery of multiple products to market, and received the Virginia Commonwealth University award for outstanding research and discovery in respiratory drug delivery in 2018.
Dr John Pritchard, Chairman, Nebu~Flow, said: “Elijah leads a highly motivated team developing pioneering technology, positioned to make a significant impact in global markets, and I look forward to continuing to guide and support the company as it enters its next phase of growth.”
Nebu~Flow plans to hire for a number of additional positions this year, including scientific, research, product design, and developer roles.
Notes:
*The global nebuliser market size was valued at USD 1.04 billion in 2021: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/nebulizers-market
**The global inhalable drugs market is valued at over USD 43 billion in 2022: https://www.verifiedmarketresearch.com/product/pulmonary-drug-delivery-systems-market/