MoonLake Immunotherapeutics

MoonLake's sole clinical asset is sonelokimab, a trivalent nanobody that inhibits both IL-17A and IL-17F. The drug was originally developed by Merck KGaA and licensed by MoonLake at the time of its founding in 2021. It is being tested primarily for hidradenitis suppurativa and psoriatic arthritis, two chronic inflammatory conditions affecting large patient populations.

MoonLake is a Nasdaq-listed clinical-stage biotech company, not a fund or family office. All capital is deployed directly into clinical development, with no external portfolio investments. The company raised initial funding through a reverse merger with a special-purpose acquisition company in 2021 and subsequently accessed public equity markets to fund Phase 3 trials.

The company claims its nanobody technology allows for higher potency per dose and better tissue penetration than existing monoclonal antibodies targeting the IL-17 pathway. Sonelokimab's small size and high solubility enable higher-concentration formulations for subcutaneous delivery. These pharmacological properties are the mechanistic basis for MoonLake's head-to-head comparisons with established IL-17 inhibitors.

The IL-17 inhibitor class is dominated by Novartis's Cosentyx, with additional drugs from Eli Lilly (Taltz) and UCB (Bimzelx). MoonLake positions sonelokimab as a potential next-generation entrant with dual IL-17A/F targeting, which the firm argues may confer superior efficacy in tissue-specific inflammatory diseases like hidradenitis suppurativa compared to single-target IL-17A antibodies.

Jorge Santos da Silva is the Chief Executive Officer and the architect of MoonLake's founding strategy to acquire and advance a deprioritized Merck KGaA asset. Specific scientific leadership details beyond the CEO are not extensively publicized, but the firm relies on a network of contract research organizations and academic investigators for trial execution.