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Note: This issue is sponsored by our friends at Sen-Jam, with research & due diligence performed by the author and the Alts team. As always, we think you'll find it informative and fair.

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Treating inflammation at its source

Imagine waking up in a world where chronic disease and inflammatory problems were a thing of the past. This isn’t just wishful thinking — it’s the foundation of Sen-Jam Pharmaceutical, a company on a mission to transform healthcare by treating inflammation at its source, from acute, chronic and even low-grade chronic, before it spirals into rampant disease.

Chronic disease itself is a complex and multi-faceted problem that can arise from a multitude of biological responses. One key response is inflammation, which is essential for the body to heal and defend against infections. However, when this process becomes chronic, it underlies a multitude of diseases, including diabetes, arthritis, cancer, and cardiovascular disorders.

Additionally, inflammation is the root cause of pain in some areas that at first glance might appear to be unexpected — ranging from the simple hangover or, at the extreme end, where inflammation creates lung issues with upper respiratory infections, including COVID.

The data on inflammation, sadly, speaks for itself:

*(Sen-Jam supplied data sources ​CDC​, ​Rand Corp​, ​StatPearls​)

Inflammation is not just a health crisis; it’s a ​$111 billion​ market opportunity.

With new scientific research validating inflammation as the root cause of most chronic diseases, Sen-Jam estimates the total addressable market (TAM) to be at least $367 billion — positioning the company at the forefront of an industry-wide paradigm shift.

Inflammatory care is a market that is absolutely ripe for disruption. And the disruption that Sen-Jam is bringing was started by asking a simple question...

A young pharmacist’s lightbulb moment 💡

Picture this: A young pharmacist is working at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (one of the world's ​leading​ cancer research institutions), conducting research on severe pain and inflammation.

Every day, she watches as medications treat symptoms but fail to prevent the deeper damage inflammation is causing. Then, she has a light bulb moment by asking the simple question:

"...What if humans didn’t just treat inflammation late in the game? What if we could stop it at its source?"

This was the flashpoint that kickstarted the very foundation of ​Sen-Jam Pharmaceutical​. And that young pharmacist was Sen-Jam’s own co-founder, Jackie Iversen.

Jackie has experienced first-hand the suffering faced by patients from inflammation and has set her sights on confronting the issue head-on.

Since 2017, Jackie and her team have remained laser-focused on solving this deep problem developing a pipeline of 11 therapeutic assets, protected by over 60 patents, and backed by partnerships with leading institutions like Duke University and ​KVK-Tech​, the world-class CMC company (Chemistry, Manufacturing & Controls).

What is Sen-Jam’s secret sauce?

Sen-Jam is a first of its kind platform that focuses on prevention, not just treatment, using proprietary ​PAIR Technology​

PAIR (Pleiotropic Anti-Inflammatory Remedies) is designed to intervene earlier in the inflammatory process, preventing the damage before it begins.

Unlike conventional treatments that suppress the immune system, PAIR works with the body to modulate inflammation at its root, preserving tissue integrity and improving outcomes across multiple diseases.

In short, they are disrupting the pharmaceutical industry by revolutionizing the way the world treats inflammation. And they're focused on getting to market quickly.

Repurposing existing molecules

If you've invested in biotech, you may know that new drug development usually takes 10-15 years.

But by repurposing FDA-approved small molecules, which have already been subject to deep clinical investigation and studies for more than 30 years, Sen-Jam can re-position and fast-track treatments; without cutting any clinical corners.

(This practice is known as ​drug repurposing​. It's well-established and smart — in fact it has helped them secure 60+ patents globally.)

AI is rapidly becoming a core component of the evolving strategic narrative at Sen-Jam. By further embracing AI, swarms of data can be analyzed quickly and effectively to provide enhanced drug development processes.

In recently interviewed the leadership team asking about how they're using AI, and got the following response:

(For further insights into Sen-Jam’s approach to repurposing & AI, refer to their recent ​press releases​ from Jan 10).

The inflammatory care market is ready for disruption

If there's one thing you need to understand about the Pharmaceutical industry today, is that their model is fundamentally reactive.

Addressing inflammation at its roots, rather than merely alleviating symptoms, represents a paradigm shift in medical treatment.

​Sen-Jam​ is pioneering the first true leapfrog advance in inflammatory care. By adopting a simple yet revolutionary approach, they have potential to open up all sorts of new market opportunities.

"Our approach is so simple and powerful, it’s like discovering the next aspirin — an essential solution that changes everything. This is the inflection point. Science, timing, and market demand have aligned for the biggest advance in 125 years."

Clinical trials & assets

To date, Sen-Jam has two Phase 2 clinical trial assets (SJP-001 and SJP-002C).

These are set to transform two markets with an estimated $30b TAM.

The world’s first FDA-approved hangover prevention (SJP-001)

Market size est. $3.3b

This asset is low-hanging fruit. We’ve probably all been there — a few too many drinks and the next morning is a disaster. But a hangover isn’t just a self-induced inconvenience; it’s actually, you guessed it, a full-body inflammatory response.

SJP-001 is being developed as the first FDA-approved hangover treatment.

This treatment alone has recently been given ​a valuation of $107m​ by an external firm of consultants, ​Destum Partners​.

(Note: Destum is a quality name in the Pharmaceutical space. Their expertise is called upon for a number of high-value M&A transactions and has done $5bn in licensing deals. But note the consultants’ disclaimer in the valuation document — the valuation was produced solely for the use of Sen-Jam and should not be relied upon.)

To give additional comfort that Sen-Jam is not only on the right track but is generating ever-increasing strong momentum, on Jan 22 Sen-Jam secured their first lead investor, ​5 Horizons Capital​, to execute a robust trial strategy in collaboration with Novotech, a renowned expert in early-phase clinical trials.

We are informed by the Sen-Jam team that the lead investor is targeting a raise of $2m for the trials, of which $600k of commitments have been received to date.

Please see the ​Press release published on Yahoo Finance​ for further details.

A breakthrough in upper respiratory infections, including COVID treatment (SJP-002C)

Market size est. $26b

Sen-Jam is addressing a critical public health challenge with its groundbreaking approach to inflammation in pulmonary concerns.

Respiratory infections, including COVID-19, remain a persistent global threat, with inflammation playing a key role in disease severity and long-term complications.

Sen-Jam’s SJP-002C is designed to target this inflammation at its source, reducing symptom severity and improving recovery outcomes. The recently completed ​Phase 2 clinical trial​ has delivered promising results, demonstrating the potential of SJP-002C to transform how we manage upper respiratory infections.

By proactively mitigating inflammation, with radical safety and without suppressing the immune system, this innovative treatment could significantly reduce hospitalizations, ease healthcare burdens, and improve patient recovery, offering a critical new tool in the fight against respiratory illnesses.

Beyond these two lead assets which alone have a very healthy addressable market potential of $30bn, Sen-Jam continues to expand its portfolio with high-impact therapeutics addressing some of the most pressing health challenges today.

How Sen-Jam makes money

IP Licensing and Partnerships

Sen-Jam has a cooperative business model that embraces the existing Pharmaceutical Industry. They are looking to partner with incumbents rather than compete with them head-on.

Sen-Jam will generate its core revenue by licensing its intellectual property to pharmaceutical giants, with a mixture of upfront and milestone payments together with ongoing royalty payments.

This allows Sen-Jam to focus on its core expertise of scientific breakthroughs while larger industry players handle the distribution and commercialization through their existing infrastructure. This model will also accelerate bringing products to market faster, while mitigating the financial costs of setting up the sales infrastructure.

As an alternative investor myself, I always look at where the biggest risks can be to any business I invest in. Over the years, I have seen bigger market players descend into mid-markets when the going gets tough.

Big Pharma had ​significant layoffs​ in late ‘24. This created a nagging voice in my head to ask the big what-if question...

What happens if big Pharma decides to head downmarket if their core markets suffer? How would Sen-Jam embrace the risks?

I posed the question to the leadership team. Here's what Jim had to say:

The flexible culture, the patent moat, and having a pro-active, symbiotic relationship with existing Pharma companies gave me the comfort I felt I needed to the challenging question.

The team that makes it all happen

There's an old VC adage:

VCs will back an A-grade team with a B-grade product, over an A-grade product and a B-grade team.

Sen-Jam seems to have significant A-grade potential.

The Leadership Team is also supported by a quality team of advisors:

Why invest in Sen-Jam?

Closing thoughts

Sen-Jam is positioned extremely well to lead this next breakthrough in how we treat inflammation.

As an independent assessor of the proposition and to avoid any conflicts, I am not invested in Sen-Jam, but I have been very impressed with everything I have seen including their traction.

If you take the time to listen to their recent ​webinar​, you will see and can feel that passion.

As investors, we all know passion alone doesn’t pay the bills. But what it does do is show that in times of adversity, the passion will be there to find the opportunities from problems that always come our way in building anything worthwhile.

There's a lot to like about this company. Sen-Jam has the thumbs up from me.

But of course, the final decision is yours.

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That's it for today

See you next time

This issue is a sponsored deep dive, meaning Alts has been paid to write an independent analysis of Sen-Jam. Sen-Jam has agreed to offer a deep look at its business, offerings, and operations. Sen-Jam is also a sponsor of Alts, but our research is neutral and unbiased. This should not be considered financial, legal, tax, or investment advice, but rather an independent analysis to help readers make their own investment decisions. All opinions expressed here are ours, and ours alone. We hope you find it informative and fair.