Otifex

About

Otifex, a Melbourne University spin‑off, develops a nasal spray for otitis media with effusion, conducting reformulation, pharmacology, safety, manufacturing and Phase I testing in collaboration with paediatric research units.

Mission

Otifex is a Melbourne University spin‑off developing a nasal spray to treat otitis media with effusion (OME), a common cause of childhood hearing problems. The company plans to test the nasal spray in collaboration with The Australian Paediatric Research Unit of the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute. The technology was developed by Associate Professor Colin Anderson and Dr Burkhard Franz and licensed to Otifex with assistance from UoM Commercial. Otifex announced the appointment of Dr Christopher Wraight as Chief Operating Officer. The company raised $1.1m from the Medical Research Commercialisation Fund and Uniseed to fund reformulation for nasal delivery, pharmacology and safety experiments, manufacture, and a Phase I clinical trial to confirm the nasal formulation's safety. Otifex plans to seek additional investment to advance to Phase II clinical efficacy trials in children with OME, a key commercialisation inflection point.

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