ASTRA Therapeutics Secures €8.3M To Advance Precision Parasiticides For Animal Health

The round was led by MIG Capital AG, with Digitalis Ventures (US) as co-lead. Other backers include Borealis Ventures, Kickfund, and Venture Kick. MIG Fonds 17 and 18 alone contributed €3.2 million to the round.

Natacha Gaillard, PhD, Founder and Co-CEO of ASTRA Therapeutics, said: “The animal health market is facing an ever-increasing need for novel anti-parasite drugs to combat the growing threat of drug resistance, ensure the health and welfare of our pets, and maintain healthy and efficient food production.”

Founded in 2022 and based at the Park InnovAARE innovation campus, ASTRA Therapeutics AG develops next-gen parasite-fighting drugs that block parasite cell division without harming the host.

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Using its proprietary ParaX platform, the company creates species-specific drug candidates called Parabulins, targeting tubulin. These are new molecular entities (NMEs) aimed at major veterinary markets, with a pipeline of 15+ patentable chemical classes tackling parasites like coccidia in livestock and heartworm in pets.

Ashwani Sharma, PhD, also Founder and Co-CEO of ASTRA Therapeutics, added: “Our platform is designed to exploit structural differences between essential proteins in parasites and the host animals, enabling creation of new drugs that should be both effective and safe.”

The global parasiticide market is valued at over €8.4 billion and growing at 5.6% annually. But rising drug resistance and expiring patents are creating urgent demand for new treatments—ASTRA notes that in some areas, 98% of heartworm cases resist existing therapies.

ASTRA aims to meet this need with its novel, patentable, and reportedly resistance-breaking drugs. The company is targeting over €680 million in annual revenue for coccidiosis and €2 billion for worm control—just within the veterinary market.

“We see tremendous commercial potential for new drugs that control worms including heartworm in dogs and cats, and coccidiosis in poultry and swine production,” said Andreas Kastenbauer, Partner at MIG Capital. “With renowned structural biologists Dr Natacha Gaillard and Dr Ashwani Sharma in the lead and strong support from a team of market and business developers experienced in drug discovery, licensing and BioTech financing, this is the right company to achieve success.”

This marks MIG Capital’s first investment in a Swiss company and only its second new investment of the year.

About ASTRA Therapeutics

Founded in 2019 ASTRA Therapeutics is transforming parasite drug development with its Parabulins™—targeted treatments designed for high precision. The company aims to lead the fight against parasitic diseases by delivering effective species-specific solutions.