Mahana Therapeutics Scores In Series B Funding Ahead Of IBS Treatment App Launch

Digital therapeutics developer Mahana has tackled IBS treatment through an innovative program that takes advantage of the ever-tenacious bond between body and mind. This integration of cognitive behavioral therapy, licensed by Mahana in early 2020, has made impressive showings in clinical trials, earned FDA approval for its smartphone application in June, and is opening the pocketbooks of high-level investors.

A Series B funding round led by Gurnet Point Capital and JAZZ Venture Partners earned $61 million, which represents a substantial chunk of Mahana’s now-$81 million investment portfolio. The funding will aid the company in advertising and commercializing its IBS program, as well as help facilitate its future endeavors for digital therapeutics targeting other chronic illnesses.

Mahana IBS users given physician approval are encouraged to check in with the smartphone app or webpage for at least 10 minutes per day over a 3-month period. The program supplies educational resources and shepards users through symptom-tracking protocols. IBS sufferers are given the tools to manage symptoms and flare-ups, identify triggers, and design unique paths for treatment based on their specific experiences and behaviors.

The company’s clinical study of over 500 IBS patients using its program saw around 60% report notable reduction in symptom severity, a metric twice as high as traditional IBS treatment vectors. The benefits of Mahana’s program were proven to last at least 12 months after completion.