We are a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on advancing new therapies for millions of patients living with inflammatory diseases and autoimmune disorders. We believe our ability to discover and develop differentiated product candidates in an efficient manner allows us to address substantial commercial markets and positions us to become a leader in the immunology market.

Our lead product candidate is VTX958, an oral, selective clinical-stage tyrosine kinase type 2 (TYK2) inhibitor. VTX958 is designed to selectively inhibit TYK2 without detectable inhibition of other Janus kinase (JAK) isoforms, which as observed in preclinical studies, supports the potential to avoid toxicities associated with broader JAK inhibition and, thus, other JAK inhibitors. We believe VTX958 has the potential to address a broad range of immune-mediated diseases, such as psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), psoriatic arthritis and lupus, each of which represent substantial market opportunities. We plan to develop VTX958 initially for psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis and Crohn’s disease, among other potential indications.

In addition, we are developing VTX002, an oral, selective Phase 2-ready sphingosine 1 phosphate receptor 1 (S1P1R) modulator for ulcerative colitis (UC). S1P1R is a clinically validated target and in our Phase 1 trial VTX002 was well tolerated at all doses tested. Based on these data, we plan to initiate a Phase 2 randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial in the second half of 2021 to pursue the commercial opportunity in UC, which represented approximately $7 billion in worldwide sales in 2020.

We also are developing a comprehensive portfolio of differentiated NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inhibitors to address multiple indications driven by NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Our oral, selective and peripherally restricted (does not cross the blood-brain barrier) NLRP3 inhibitor, VTX2735, has been designed to treat systemic inflammatory diseases, such as cardiovascular, hepatic, renal and rheumatologic diseases. In addition to VTX2735, our portfolio of NLRP3 compounds includes CNS-penetrant inhibitors, which we believe have potential therapeutic utility for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and MS, based on preclinical and clinical evidence underscoring the pathogenic role of NLRP3 in these neurodegenerative diseases. We believe each of these inflammatory diseases represents a substantial commercial opportunity. VTX2735, our lead NLRP3 candidate, is expected to enter the clinic in the fourth quarter of 2021.