Ena Respiratory lands $2.98M grant to test asthma nasal spray
What's the deal? Ena Respiratory, a Melbourne-based clinical-stage pharmaceutical company, has been awarded $2,980,000 from Australia's Biointelect VenturerDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. The grant will fund a first-in-patients study of INNA-051, an intranasal spray, in adults with asthma.
What's the endgame? INNA-051 is a virus-agnostic, once-weekly dry powder nasal spray that primes the natural antiviral defences in the nose, where colds, flu, RSV, and coronaviruses enter. The goal is to reduce complications in patients at higher risk of severe illness.
Why asthma? Asthma patients face an intrinsic delay in antiviral responses, letting viruses spread to the lower respiratory tract and worsen symptoms. The Phase Ib trial (ENA-A-04) — randomised, double-blind, and placebo-controlled — will assess safety, tolerability, and drug behaviour. It is expected to start in Q1 2027.
Why now? The award is part of Biointelect Venturer's inaugural funding round. The incubator is Australia's new national body for vaccine and infectious disease innovation, backed by the Australian Government's Medical Research Future FundDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →.
"We are proud to have received this grant," said chief executive officer Christophe Demaison. He added that it will "expand our clinical program in a high-risk patient population" and inform future work in conditions such as COPD.
The context: INNA-051 is already in a Phase IIa community study in the US. That trial, the "POSITS" study, completed its first stage in May 2026, with Part B due to begin dosing in the next North American respiratory virus season.
The signal: At $2.98 million, the grant ranks among the largest of its kind, sitting in the 95th percentile of grant rounds for health companies in Australia. Biointelect Venturer says its aim is to close "critical gaps between research and commercial readiness" — a persistent hurdle for early-stage biotech. This backing signals growing state-led appetite to keep infectious disease innovation onshore.
Read more: benzinga.com
Image credit: Ena Respiratory
