Swiss biotech MoonLake unveils good trial results and strong cash position
MoonLake Immunotherapeutics, quoted on Nasdaq in the US and with local offices in Cambridge’s Regent Street, is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on creating next-level therapies for inflammatory diseases.
It has just revealed highly encouraging topline results from the S-OLARIS Phase 2 trial of SLK in patients with radiographic and non-radiographic axSpA as well as sharing its financial results for Q4 and full-year ended December 31.
In the 2 S-OLARIS trial in axSpA, SLK demonstrated clinically meaningful and statistically significant benefit. Axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) is a chronic, inflammatory arthritis primarily affecting the spine and sacroiliac joints, often causing severe, long-term back pain and stiffness. It can lead to spinal fusion but early, targeted treatment can manage symptoms effectively.
Professor Kristian Reich, Founder and Chief Scientific Officer at MoonLake Immunotherapeutics, said: “The data from our S-OLARIS trial marks a critical step in providing an effective treatment for patients with this devastating disease.
“The complementary data from clinical outcomes, MRI and PET imaging as well as peripheral blood and tissue biomarkers confirm our hypothesis of SLKs ability to access deeper tissue, which is essential to optimally control this chronic rheumatological condition and prevent irreversible mobility restriction.
“In our view, the impact of SLK on clinical parameters and key disease pathways observed in S-OLARIS already within the first 12 weeks of treatment highlight the potential of the drug to elevate clinical outcomes and to achieve disease modification in axSpA.
“With millions of patients affected by this devastating condition and limited impact of current therapies in improving relevant disease mechanisms, SLK has the potential to change the treatment paradigm in axSpA.”
The financial results slathered a tasty layer of icing on the cake and at period-end MoonLake held cash, equivalents and short-term marketable debt securities of $394 million.
R & D expenses for the quarter were down to $56m from $60.6m in the previous quarter. General and administrative expenses were down to $9.2m from $10.8m. The company estimates a cash runway into the second half of 2027.
MoonLake also amended its debt facility with Hercules Capital, with a concurrent drawdown of $25m, and up to $400m in non-dilutive money remaining available to support future funding needs.
Also with facilities in Portugal, MoonLake opened its Cambridge base in January 2025: It believes its success lies in very small antibodies, called nanobodies, derived naturally from camels and sharks. They are being explored because of their flexibility and size which allows them to penetrate tissues more deeply, enhancing their potential as therapies for inflammatory diseases.
Simon Sturge, a Director of MoonLake and Chair of the Board, was previously CEO of Kymab Ltd, which was owned by Sanofi. Kymab's facility at Babraham Research Campus was closed by Sanofi in 2024, leaving the fate on 90 employees in the balance.
