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Specialty pharmaceutical company Zogenix Inc. said it has added $18 million in Series A funding as the company prepares for the potential commercialization of its lead migraine-targeted treatment.

New investor Abingworth Management led the round, which also included previous investors Clarus Ventures, Domain Associates, Scale Venture Partners and Thomas McNerney & Partners. Those previous investors, along with Life Science Angels, participated in a $60 million Series A round raised in August 2006 when the company was founded.

"It's really more of an extension of the funding that we put together when we founded the company," Clarus Managing Director and Zogenix board member Kurt C. Wheeler said, characterizing this as Series A funding. The round, which closed in late December, was "a step up," Wheeler said, though he declined to elaborate on the valuation.

The new money came on the heels of a December filing for a New Drug Application for its lead program with the Food and Drug Administration. That lead program is sumatriptan DosePro, which uses the already approved product sumatriptan in a new subcutaneous delivery method for migraine sufferers.

Zogenix's delivery system can be injected subcutaneously without a needle. The device works by using compressed gas to quickly push the medication through the skin when a lever is pressed.

"The big benefit is the faster speed of relief and its easy-to-use and not-intimidating system," Zogenix Vice President of Commercial Strategy and Corporate Communications J.D. Haldeman said, indicating the company plans to explore using its delivery method for other injectable treatments, possibly including fertility, rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis. "We actually believe this technology could pair up very nicely with some of those new biotechnology treatments."

Because the sumatriptan is already on the market, the company pursued a 505(b)(2) application for its approval, which could take about 10 months, or until October or November for possible clearance. Sumatriptan's patent does not expire until February 2009. To prepare for its potential commercialization, Zogenix will use this funding to build up its commercial scale manufacturing and to bulk up its sales and marketing staff.

In addition to its lead program, Zogenix recently in-licensed an opioid product from Elan Corp. That treatment targeting acute and chronic pain is scheduled to enter Phase III trials this year.

Thomas McNerney Partner and Zogenix board member Alex Zisson said he also expects the company to pursue potential partnerships involving the company's technology.

"We're just starting to seriously talk to some biotech and pharmaceutical companies about using the system for their molecules," Zisson said, indicating that that could be a source of future funding for the company, in addition to future equity or debt financing.

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