Gesthera is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing innovative treatments for preterm labor.
Our lead program, GST001, is an orally available, selective antagonist of the prostaglandin F2α receptor, also known as the FP receptor,
designed to target a key pathway involved in uterine activation and pro-labor signaling.
We are developing GST001 with a particular focus on acute preterm labor before 32 weeks of gestation, where the consequences of early delivery can be especially serious and opportunities to safely prolong pregnancy are critically important.
Our goal is not simply to stop contractions. We aim to develop a new approach to tocolysis — one that combines meaningful efficacy with a favorable safety profile and, ultimately, explores the potential for more sustained prolongation of pregnancy.
Preterm labor can turn a pregnancy into a race against time.
For women facing very early preterm labor, even a short extension of pregnancy can provide valuable time for fetal maturation and for clinicians to prepare the safest possible care for both mother and baby.
At Gesthera, we are working to transform that limited window of time into a greater opportunity for healthy pregnancy progression.
We believe women facing preterm labor deserve better options because when a baby is at risk of being born too soon, every day matters.
Gesthera was founded around a simple question:
Can we do more than simply stop uterine contractions for a short period of time?
This question led us to a different approach to tocolysis: targeting the prostaglandin F2α/FP receptor pathway, a central driver of uterine activation and pro-labor signaling.
Our lead compound, GST001, was designed as an orally available and selective FP receptor antagonist.
The program has progressed from preclinical and Phase 1 development to clinical proof of concept in women experiencing acute preterm labor.
Our Phase 2a study provided an encouraging clinical efficacy signal, with the strongest signal observed at earlier gestational ages, and supported continued clinical development.
Today, we are building on this foundation with a focused development strategy in acute preterm labor before 32 weeks of gestation, where the unmet medical need remains particularly high and the potential value of safely prolonging pregnancy may be greatest.
We believe meaningful innovation in women’s health starts with understanding the biology — and succeeds when it delivers value for patients
Our development philosophy is built on four principles:
Target the biology
We seek to address clinically relevant mechanisms rather than simply follow established approaches.
Design for meaningful outcomes
We focus on outcomes that matter to women, babies and clinicians, from effective management of acute preterm labor to exploring the potential for more sustained pregnancy prolongation.
Build evidence step by step
We advance development through rigorous generation of clinical, safety, and operational evidence, allowing each stage to inform the next.
Keep patients at the center
Our ultimate objective is to provide better treatment options for women experiencing acute preterm labor and more time for their babies to develop before birth.
We look forward to hearing from you and exploring opportunities to advance maternal health together.
Fabien de Ladonchamps is a biotech executive with more than 25 years of experience in finance, administration, and corporate leadership, primarily with Swiss biotechnology companies.
Mr. de Ladonchamps served as Chief Executive Officer of ObsEva from May 2023 to May 2024, following a period as a consultant to the company in March and April 2023. Previously, he was a member of ObsEva’s Executive Committee from October 2013 to July 2022, serving as Chief Administrative Officer and Interim Chief Financial Officer. Over the course of his tenure with the company, he played an instrumental role in its financing activities, supporting the raising of approximately $450 million through private and public financing, including more than $110 million as company’s sole finance and accounting officer. He also played a key role in ObsEva’s listings on Nasdaq in 2017 and the SIX Swiss Exchange in 2018.
Prior to joining ObsEva, Mr. de Ladonchamps held a variety of management positions at Addex Therapeutics from 2008 to 2013.
Mr. de Ladonchamps holds a degree in Finance and Accounting from the University Jean Moulin, Lyon 3, in Lyon, France.
Michel Brethous brings more than 25 years of experience in global clinical development across biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies.
He has led multinational clinical programs spanning women’s health, neurology, oncology, autoimmune diseases, and metabolic disorders, with expertise in clinical strategy, trial design and execution, regulatory interactions, and operational leadership. Prior to co-founding Gesthera, Michel held senior clinical leadership roles at Obseva and Merck Serono. Most recently, he focused on guiding the clinical development of novel therapies for women’s health, with a particular focus on preterm labor, helping translate scientific innovation into potential new treatment options for mothers and babies.
Ernest Loumaye is a prominent figure in the biopharmaceutical industry, specifically known for his extensive work in women’s reproductive health and drug development. He is a physician, reproductive health expert, and serial entrepreneur with extensive experience in women’s reproductive health and biopharmaceutical drug development. He co-founded ObsEva SA, a Swiss biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing and commercializing novel therapies for women’s reproductive health, and served as its Chief Executive Officer until 2022, as well as a member of its Board of Directors. Under his leadership, ObsEva focused on conditions including endometriosis, uterine fibroids, and preterm labor.
Prior to ObsEva, Dr. Loumaye co-founded PregLem, a Swiss specialty biopharmaceutical company, in 2006 and served as its CEO until its acquisition by Gedeon Richter in 2010. Earlier in his career, he held senior leadership positions at Serono (now part of Merck KGaA), where he served as Vice President of Clinical Development for Reproductive Health.
Dr. Loumaye is an obstetrician-gynecologist and holds an MD and PhD from the University of Louvain (UCL) in Belgium. He also completed a research fellowship at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the United States. Throughout his career, he has bridged clinical gynecology and pharmaceutical development, with a focus on bringing new treatments to market for complex reproductive health conditions.
Elizabeth Garner is a seasoned strategic- and business-minded executive and corporate board member with a career-long focus on addressing unmet needs that affect women’s health. Born and raised in Nigeria, she brings a global view to her work. With two decades of experience, Dr. Garner has wide expertise in product development, including clinical trial design and conduct, US/ex-US regulatory and FDA Advisory Committee strategy, medical affairs, and due diligence assessment of early- to late-stage therapeutic, device, and diagnostic product candidates. Dr. Garner is currently CEO of Sena Therapeutics, a startup developing first-in-class medicines for PMOS. Most recently, she was U.S. Chief Scientific Officer at Ferring Pharmaceuticals. Her prior C-suite roles include Chief Medical Officer at ObsEva and Agile Therapeutics. Earlier, she held leadership positions at Myriad Genetics, Abbott Labs, and Merck Research Labs.
Dr. Garner is an experienced corporate board member and is currently the Board Chair of NUA Surgical, a startup innovating in surgical solutions for women. Her prior board roles include Kezar Life Sciences (KZR), Sermonix Pharmaceuticals, and Medicines 360. She is also a Past President of the American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA) and is a Founder and Steering Committee member of Women’s Health Advocates (WHA). Beth earned joint MD and MPH degrees from Harvard Medical and Public Health Schools. She completed an OB/GYN residency at Brigham and Women’s/Massachusetts General Hospitals, and a gynecologic oncology fellowship at Brigham and Women’s/Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Ben (Willem) Mol is Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Monash University.
Ben has a long track record in clinical trials in women’s health, including preterm labour, with a portfolio in Europe, Brazil, South-Africa, Australia and recently with Asian universities. Ben is also involved in many Individual Participant Data Meta-Analysis, in which on many topics in Obstetrics and in Reproductive Medicine data of randomised clinical trials performed worldwide are brought together. Recently, Ben has worked also on systems to detect data-fabrication in RCTs. He has published >1600 papers and supervised 130 PhD students.
His professional adage is ‘A day without randomisation is a day without progress.’
Vassilis Tsatsaris is Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Université Paris Cité and AP-HP, based at Port-Royal Maternity Hospital (GHU AP-HP.Centre). A specialist in maternal-fetal medicine and perinatal care, he leads clinical and translational research focused on high-risk pregnancies, preterm delivery, placental pathology, and obstetric complications including preeclampsia. He co-directs the Institute for Women and Interdisciplinary Research in Science and Health (iWISH), an interdisciplinary research institute dedicated to women’s health in Paris. He is actively engaged in international partnerships, particularly in Africa, and in shaping the future of obstetric imaging and perinatal medicine.
