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First-choice, last-resort antibiotics.

SaphorixPharma
20M+
MRSA cases / yr in protected regions
$6B
anti-MRSA market today
33%
30-day mortality with AKI
€1.1M
raised over four years

The opportunity

Vancomycin-grade efficacy, without the toxicity

Our triaromatic pleuromutilins are built to match today's last-resort drugs in potency — and leave their kidney, liver and nerve toxicity behind.

Two preclinical candidates, both with cleaner safety profiles.

Explore the scienceSee the pipeline

Our purpose

We’re here to end the toxicity of last-resort antibiotics.

DISCOVERED CANDIDATESDRUG DEVELOPMENTDRUGS REACHING PATIENTS

The antibiotic development bottleneck.

Resistant infections are climbing and new chemistry is emerging faster than ever — yet almost no new antibiotics reach patients. Because last-resort drugs are held back for the sickest cases, the economics are broken and there is little incentive to develop them; most options in clinical use today were discovered decades ago.

Saphorix exists to move a safer, better-tolerated candidate through that gap — and into the hands of the patients who run out of options.

The problem

Resistance leads to treatment failure.

When first-line antibiotics fail against MRSA or VRE, clinicians fall back on a small group of toxic alternatives — drugs whose side-effects can rival the infection itself.

Hospital IV drip

Vancomycin

1958

$0.5B / yr

  • Acute kidney injury (15–20%)
  • Ear & liver toxicity
  • Immunotoxicity

Linezolid

2000

$1.3B / yr

  • Peripheral neuropathy
  • Bone-marrow suppression
  • Lactic acidosis

Daptomycin

2003

$4.0B / yr

  • Acute kidney injury (15–30%)
  • Anaphylaxis
  • IV only

Tigecycline

2005

$1.4B / yr

  • FDA black-box (all-cause mortality)
  • Liver toxicity
  • Pancreatitis
+17 days

additional hospital stay following antibiotic-induced AKI

+$10–150k

added cost per AKI case

↑ 400%

in 30-day in-hospital mortality with AKI

The solution

Triaromatic Pleuromutilins.

Our patented sub-class can foster a new last-resort antibiotic for MRSA and VRE indications — potentially with no adverse effects. If successful, it will be the first-choice among all MRSA last-resort antibiotics.

Equal performance

to lefamulin, vancomycin & linezolid in vitro and in vivo

Lower hERG affinity

than approved pleuromutilins — reduced QT-prolongation risk

Identical resistance

rates to existing pleuromutilins (0.18–0.38% in MRSA)

IV & oral

dosing potential — clinical flexibility

Patent · US20230219964A1 — EU, Canada, China, Australia

Triaromatic Pleuromutilin molecular structure

“Will you choose an antibiotic with no adverse effects or monitoring before antibiotics further up in the guidelines? Yes.”

Prof. Isik Johansen — Chief Physician,
Dept. of Infectious Diseases, Odense University Hospital

Pipeline

Two preclinical candidates — and counting.

After four years and €1.1M raised across non-dilutive grants from Innovationsfonden, Novo Nordisk Fonden, Hørslevfonden and SPARK Denmark, Saphorix has identified two preclinical candidates with highly promising safety profiles.

CVH-174

MRSA / VRE

hERG IC₅₀ — 3× lower than lefamulin

Discovery
Lead optimization
Preclinical
Phase 1
Phase 2

CVH-276

MRSA / VRE

hERG IC₅₀ — 5× lower than lefamulin

Discovery
Lead optimization
Preclinical
Phase 1
Phase 2

Market

Gram-positive bacteria drive the resistance crisis.

More than 60% of resistant bloodstream infections in the US are Gram-positive — and the top four pathogens are all highly sensitive to Triaromatic Pleuromutilins.

44.3%MRSA (Methicillin-resistant S. aureus)
31.3%ESBL Enterobacterales
8.0%Vancomycin-resistant Enterococci
4.8%Drug-resistant S. pneumoniae

Resistant bloodstream infections, USA 2022 — CDC / ECDC

Who needs this most.

Immunosuppressed

HIV/AIDS-positive patients and organ transplant recipients.

Hematologic cancers

Leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma patients on chemotherapy.

Chronic critical care

Patients with concurrent organ dysfunction where AKI risk is unacceptable.

Team

Built by chemists, clinicians and microbiologists.

CEO

Christoffer V. Heidtmann

PhD, Fulbright Scholar, FKF, SDU. Co-inventor; PhD in antibiotic medicinal chemistry.

CCO / COO

Hans Christian Holländer

Commercial and operational lead, specialised in the AMR field.

Clinical Advisor

Prof. Isik Johansen

MD, Head of Research, Department of Infectious Diseases, Odense University Hospital.

Microbiology Advisor

Prof. Ulrik S. Justesen

MD, PhD. EUCAST AST Network Representative; population MIC / ECOFF determination.

Status

Four years.
€1.1M raised.

Backed entirely by non-dilutive grant funding from Denmark’s most respected science foundations.

  1. 2020SDU Proof-of-Concept grant
  2. 2021Innovationsfonden InnoExplorer — 1.5M DKK
  3. 2022Novo Nordisk Fonden Pioneer Innovator — 1.1M DKK
  4. 2023Innovationsfonden InnoExplorer — 1.5M DKK · Hørslevfonden 0.2M DKK
  5. 2024Novo Nordisk Fonden Infectious Diseases Catalyst — 3.1M DKK
  6. 2025SPARK Denmark — 0.7M DKK · Spin-out

Contact

Let’s build the next first-choice.

We are actively engaging investors, clinical collaborators and pharmaceutical partners interested in the Triaromatic Pleuromutilin platform.

chheidt@sdu.dk→

Direct contact

Christoffer Vogsen Heidtmann, PhD

Chief Executive Officer

Phone
+45 42 19 37 55
Affiliation
Department of Physics, Chemistry and Pharmacy
University of Southern Denmark (SDU)