BEYOND SYMPTOM CONTROL

Developing therapies to restore functioning in patients with orphan conditions of the brain and nervous system, so that they can live their lives to the fullest

Who We Are

Noema Pharma is a biotech company developing groundbreaking therapies to address the most disabling symptoms in orphan conditions of the brain and nervous system.

Noema’s research and development is focused on understanding and meeting patient needs using our novel therapies. We will achieve our goal through a full partnership with the communities of patients, their families and caregivers and through collaboration with health care providers and policy makers.

Noema’s experienced and motivated team has a track record of successfully developing and commercializing therapies for conditions affecting the nervous system around the world.

Pipeline

Our Science

Noema focuses on orphan CNS diseases characterized by imbalanced neuronal networks leading to unresolved severe symptoms and significant impact on patient’s overall functioning.

NOE-101 mGluR5 NAM
A highly selective, potent, and cell penetrant negative allosteric modulator of mGlu5 receptors for the treatment of seizures associated with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) and for the management of pain associated with Trigeminal Neuralgia (TN).

NOE-105 PDE10A inhibitor
A potent selective PDE10A inhibitor that safely modulates dopamine D2 receptor signaling in people with Tourette Syndrome (TS).

Experience and Vision

The Noema team has extensive experience in global pharma and biotech organizations in developing and commercializing innovative therapies for neurological and psychiatric indications.

LEADERSHIP

Luigi Costa

Chief Executive Officer

George Garibaldi, MD

Chief Medical Officer

George Garibaldi MD

Founder & Chief Medical Officer

Dr George Garibaldi is co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of Noema Pharma AG. He had previously progressive leadership responsibilities in research and development across multiple major pharmaceutical companies. Most recently he served as VP global head of CNS at F. Hoffmann-La Roche.

Dr Garibaldi trained in child psychiatry, statistics, and neuropsychopharmacology. During his tenure at Roche, he lead the development of multiple therapies including OCREVUS ^®(ocrelizumab), approved in 2017 for Primary progressive and relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. Prior to Roche, he was Head of Psychiatry and Geriatric Psychiatry at Novartis and Neuroscience Therapeutic Area Lead at Janssen Pharmaceuticals. Throughout his career, Dr Garibaldi developed therapies for multiple conditions including Exelon^® (rivastigmine) in Alzheimer’s disease, Fanapt^® (iloperidone) in schizophrenia, Risperdal Consta^® (risperidone long-acting injectable) in frequently relapsing patients with bipolar disorders, Invega^® (paliperidone) in patients with schizoaffective disorder and lead the regulatory submission and approval of Risperdal^® (risperidone) in autism spectrum disorders.

Dr Garibaldi serves as peer reviewer for multiple scientific and medical journals. He authored more than 100 articles in peer reviewed journals. He developed, validated and published a number of clinician- and patient-reported clinical outcomes including “The Readiness for hospital Discharge Questionnaire in schizophrenia”, “The Patient most Troubling Symptoms scale in Anxiety and Depression”, “The Readiness for Work Questionnaire in schizophrenia” and “The Clinical Global Impression for Schizoaffective Disorder”.

Dr Garibaldi is a board member of several biotechs and serves on the scientific advisory boards of many companies. He is member of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP), founder and past president of the International Society for Central Nervous System Clinical Trials and Methodology (ISCTM) and former chairman of the International Society for CNS Drug Development (ISCDD). He is the recipient of multiple awards including the ISCDD award for innovation. Dr Garibaldi is widely recognized by his peers as an innovative and collaborative leader guided by his dedication to developing novel therapies for patients.

Dr Garibaldi earned a M.D. from the faculty of medicine of Cairo University. He completed his residency in psychiatry at the Rene Descartes Medical School, his studies in statistics and mathematical modeling at the University of Kremlin-Bicêtre, and his studies in Neuropsychopharmacology at the Pitié Salpétrière.

SHAREHOLDERS

Antoine Papiernik

Darren Carroll

Darren joined Polaris Partners in 2020 as a partner, and he focuses on investing in therapeutics and healthcare technology companies.

Prior to joining Polaris, Darren completed a 22-year career with the pharmaceutical firm Eli Lilly and Company in Indianapolis. For the past decade, Darren led Lilly’s global business development efforts, retiring in 2019 as senior vice president of corporate business development. He was responsible for all strategic transactions at Lilly, ranging from venture capital investments and acquisitions, to company formation and divestitures. During Lilly’s 145-year history, the two largest deals — the $8 billion acquisition of Loxo Oncology and the $13 billion spin-out of Elanco Animal Health — occurred during Darren’s leadership. Among the many deals Lilly completed during that time, Darren is most proud of the result that 10 new medicines became available to thousands of patients.

Earlier in Darren’s career at Lilly, he reorganized and led the company’s venture capital operations and formed the current Lilly Ventures. He also was the founder of Lilly Asia Ventures, one of the most successful life science VC funds in China. During his tenure leading Lilly’s venture activities, Darren served on the board of directors for multiple portfolio companies, including Citic Pharmaceuticals, Novast Holdings, and Hydra Biosciences (also a Polaris Partners portfolio company).

Darren was the founding CEO of InnoCentive, Inc., the first open-innovation company in the life sciences. He created the company as a Lilly subsidiary and spun it out to investors in 2005. During a “sabbatical” from Lilly, Darren led both corporate and new product development at RealMed, a healthcare transactions and technology company that is now part of Availity.

In the 1990s, Darren left private legal practice in New York and joined Lilly to head legal matters for Lilly’s global technology group, which included the pharmacy benefit manager PCS Healthcare. He later led legal matters for Lilly’s flagship medicine, Prozac.

Darren earned an AB in political science (summa cum laude), Masters in public administration, and JD in law from Syracuse University, where he held the University Fellowship, L.E.S. Fellowship, and Lehman Fellowship.