VC model raises cash for rare disease drugs

The Wall Street Journal looks at the work of Boston-based venture capitalist Roger Kitterman, who has been able to coax investors to back badly needed therapies with none of the big upside that most would demand. He set up a shell company called Bezoloven that attracted angel backing for a grape-flavored therapy for lead poisoning, a category that developers had shunned and patient advocacy groups had ignored. By keeping trial costs down, Kitterman still projects the investors can double or triple their investments. And that same model could be used to fund other research programs into rare diseases.

- read the article [1] from the Wall Street Journal

Related Articles:
NIH budgets $71M to study rare diseases. Report [2]
NIH expert sees new drive against rare disease. Report [3]
Progeria trial underscores challenge of rare diseases. Report [4]