Written by CEO and Co-Founder Chris Hayes
Sonas Pharma is a discovery-stage pharmaceutical company developing next-generation, patent-protected endocannabinoid system (ECS) medicines for epilepsy and metabolic disease—areas of significant unmet need. We sit at the intersection of scientific innovation and real-world patient need.
Cannabinoid therapies like Epidiolex have proven clinical efficacy, but limited IP protection has constrained broader investment and innovation. Sonas Pharma changes this with a fresh approach: combining validated ECS biology, cutting-edge medicinal chemistry, and robust IP strategy to unlock full clinical and commercial potential.
Our approach is to start with clinically validated cannabinoid compounds and apply modern medicinal chemistry and in silico drug design to generate novel, patentable analogues. These compounds retain the beneficial pharmacology of the original molecules but offer optimised properties and strong IP protection, enabling sustainable commercial development.
Encouragingly, early data from preclinical seizure models show that our lead epilepsy candidates demonstrate approximately twice the anticonvulsant activity of Epidiolex. While still early-stage, this highlights the potential for best-in-class efficacy.
Both co-founders were senior members of the team that brought Epidiolex to market, providing deep experience in both cannabinoid science and drug development. The company was initially funded through friends and family and recently closed a pre-seed round supported by SFC Capital and Clarendon Fund Managers.
At Sonas Pharma, our goal is to unlock the full potential of ECS-based medicines by combining strong science with robust IP and a clear commercial pathway.
As Co-Founder and CEO, I lead Sonas Pharma’s overall strategy, scientific direction, and commercial development.
My role spans overseeing our drug development programmes, driving fundraising and partnerships, and ensuring we successfully progress our pipeline from discovery through to clinical development. I am also closely involved in shaping our IP strategy, which is central to our business model.
What motivates me is the opportunity to combine scientific innovation with meaningful patient impact — particularly in areas such as treatment-resistant epilepsy, where current treatment options remain limited.
Sonas Pharma is based in Omagh, County Tyrone. Northern Ireland provides a strong foundation for a company like ours. We benefit from access to highly skilled scientific talent, strong academic links, and a supportive innovation ecosystem. Combined with our lean operating model and use of external partners such as CROs, this allows us to operate efficiently while maintaining a global outlook.
In the longer term, Northern Ireland also offers strategic access to both UK and EU markets, as well as connections to broader international life sciences networks.
Our programmes are focused on two therapeutic areas, epilepsy and metabolic disease. The SNS-1XX epilepsy programme is focused on next-generation ECS compounds designed to improve on existing epilepsy therapies. In preclinical models, these assets have shown approximately twice the anticonvulsant activity versus Epidiolex. More than 17,000 compounds have already been screened using a combination of in silico modelling and preclinical assays, and the lead assets are protected by composition-of-matter patents. Given that epilepsy affects more than 50 million people globally, the programme is positioned to address a large patient population with a clear unmet need. Initial development concentrated on treatment-resistant epilepsy, which affects around 33% of patients. The programme also has potential to expand into focal epilepsy and rare seizure disorders.
The SNS-2XX programme is directed at metabolic disease through THCV-inspired compounds with a differentiated mechanism. These molecules are designed as CB1 receptor inverse agonists/antagonists to deliver improved metabolic effects, but are peripherally restricted to avoid the central nervous system side effects that undermined earlier drugs in this class. The focus is on glycaemic control, lipid metabolism, and obesity-related conditions, with a particular opportunity in patients who cannot tolerate current GLP-1 agonists. As a small-molecule approach, the programme offers a potential alternative or complement to injectable incretin-based therapies. More than 45,000 compounds are being screened to identify the lead candidates.
With growing demand for obesity treatments and increasing awareness of tolerability challenges with existing therapies, this programme positions Sonas Pharma in a rapidly expanding global market.
Across both programmes, our goal is to combine scientific rigour, strong IP and scalable chemistry to create medicines with genuine therapeutic and commercial potential.
Sonas Pharma’s innovation lies in its IP-first approach to drug discovery. Rather than developing either natural cannabinoids with weak IP protection or entirely novel mechanisms with higher biological risk, we take a middle path: leveraging clinically validated biology while creating fully proprietary, optimised compounds. This approach allows us to reduce biological risk while strengthening the commercial case for development.
Key elements of our approach include designing novel analogues of known ECS drugs that retain their therapeutic efficacy while being fully patentable, directly addressing a critical industry barrier: the limited IP protection typically available in cannabinoid therapeutics. We achieve this through targeted structural modifications that enhance efficacy and drug-like properties, while building scalable synthesis and manufacturing considerations into our programmes from the outset.
Our immediate focus is advancing both programmes through key value inflection points. For the epilepsy programme, we are progressing toward Phase 1 first-in-human trials within approximately three years, with near-term milestones include completion of the preclinical safety and toxicology packages. The metabolic programme is targeting lead compound selection within the next nine months, with ongoing synthesis, screening, and validation in preclinical models, and progression toward first-in-human studies within a similar timeframe.
More broadly, we are focused on building value through strong data generation, positioning the company for future partnerships and strategic investment opportunities. At a business level, with clinical data in hand, we are targeting a 3–5 year exit via M&A or IPO, reflecting strong deal flow and activity in both the epilepsy and obesity markets.
Sonas Pharma’s has secured pre-seed funding led by SFC Capital to develop therapeutics for obesity and epilepsy (Read more here).
Our founders bring over 50 years of combined experience in drug development, including key roles in the development and commercialisation of ECS-based medicines such as Epidiolex and Sativex. This experience underpins our confidence in both the science and the pathway to delivering meaningful patient impact.
Ultimately, success for us means ensuring that these therapies can be developed, protected, and, most importantly, reach the patients who need them — particularly in areas like refractory epilepsy, where there remains a significant unmet need.
