A development-first biotech company.
Zawa Therapeutics finds, in-licenses, and advances small molecules that deserve a second chance, guided by deep drug-development experience and AI-enabled analysis.
Revisiting missed opportunities.
Zawa advances therapeutics rather than discovering them. We look for clinically tested or IND-ready small-molecule programs that were discontinued, deprioritized, or made non-core, and ask whether focused development could take them further.
We are early stage and currently evaluating programs where a different development strategy could change the outcome.
Find overlooked assets
We search systematically for small-molecule programs that already have meaningful scientific, regulatory, or clinical evidence but are no longer a priority for their owners.
Understand what stalled
We work out why development stopped (trial design, execution, the therapeutic window, or a shift in strategy) and whether that cause can be fixed.
Chart the next step
We decide which programs merit investment and how to advance them efficiently, combining structured evaluation with hands-on development judgment.
Using AI to find and evaluate overlooked programs.
Shelved drug programs are numerous and scattered across company pipelines, trial registries, and the literature, which makes them hard to evaluate systematically.
Zawa is building an AI-enabled asset intelligence system to help us identify, evaluate, compare, and prioritize these programs.
The aim is to find programs where the evidence supports a credible development thesis.
Inputs
Company pipelines and disclosures, trial registries, the scientific literature, and the regulatory record.
Output
A structured evidence file for each program, assessed against the same framework.
Judgment
Experienced drug developers review every output and make the final calls.
Advanced assets with unresolved development questions.
We start from existing data. Our interest is in small molecules where meaningful work has been done but the asset has not yet reached its potential.
Clinically tested or IND-ready
An existing body of data that can inform the next development decision.
Deprioritized or non-core
No longer a fit for the owner's portfolio, therapeutic focus, or capital plans.
Diagnosable development challenge
A reason for the stall that can be identified, and a hypothesis for addressing it that can be tested.
Therapeutic-area agnostic
The team's recent experience spans oncology, inflammation, musculoskeletal disease (including osteoarthritis), and neurology.
Led by experienced drug developers.
Zawa's founders have worked across clinical development, medical affairs, regulatory strategy, and business development, in global pharma and emerging biotech.
Mirta Grifman, PhD
More than 25 years in pharma and biotech across the full product lifecycle, from discovery to post-approval, with experience in clinical development, medical affairs, and business development.
Jeymi Tambiah, MD
Physician-scientist and biopharmaceutical executive with experience in clinical development, medical and regulatory strategy, product development, and surgery.
Have a program worth a second look?
We want to hear from companies, universities, and other asset owners, as well as investors and partners, about small-molecule programs that could benefit from focused development.
Please share non-confidential information only. We will put a CDA in place before any confidential exchange.
Contact ZawaOr write to info@zawatx.com