Company Description
60 Degrees Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: SXTP) is a specialty pharmaceutical company that focuses on developing and commercializing new medicines for the treatment and prevention of vector-borne diseases. According to company disclosures, 60 Degrees Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (also referred to as 60 Degrees Pharma) concentrates on conditions transmitted by vectors such as ticks and mosquitoes, aligning with its presence in the medicinal and botanical manufacturing segment of the broader manufacturing sector.
Founded in 2010, 60 Degrees Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with a subsidiary in Australia. The company reports that it collaborates with prominent research and academic organizations in the United States and Australia, and in some disclosures also notes collaborations with organizations in Singapore. Its common stock and warrants trade on The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC under the symbols SXTP and SXTPW, respectively, as reflected in its SEC filings.
Core focus on vector-borne disease
Across multiple public statements, 60 Degrees Pharmaceuticals, Inc. describes itself as a pharmaceutical company focused on developing new medicines for vector-borne disease. These include diseases caused by parasites and pathogens transmitted by arthropod vectors such as ticks and mosquitoes. The company’s activities include both the commercialization of an approved product and the sponsorship of clinical trials intended to evaluate potential new uses of its lead molecule.
The firm’s lead product is ARAKODA® (tafenoquine), an antimalarial drug. The company states that it achieved U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of ARAKODA (tafenoquine) for malaria prevention in 2018. ARAKODA is described as commercially available in the United States and Australia, where tafenoquine is also approved for malaria prophylaxis under the product name KODATEF® in Australia. Both products are reported to be distributed through pharmaceutical wholesaler networks and dispensed as prescription-only medicines at retail pharmacies.
Lead product: ARAKODA® (tafenoquine) for malaria prophylaxis
Company materials describe ARAKODA (tafenoquine) as an antimalarial indicated for the prophylaxis of malaria in patients 18 years of age and older. Tafenoquine was discovered by the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, and the company notes that the safety of the approved regimen for malaria prophylaxis has been assessed in multiple randomized, double-blind, active comparator or placebo-controlled trials of up to six months’ duration.
Public information from the company explains that tafenoquine has a long terminal half-life of approximately 16 days, and that this characteristic may offer potential advantages for less-frequent dosing in malaria prophylaxis, as described by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the materials cited by the company. The firm also outlines a specific dosing regimen for individuals at risk of contracting malaria, involving a loading phase followed by weekly dosing during exposure and a final dose after travel.
Company disclosures emphasize that ARAKODA is not suitable for all patients. They highlight contraindications, including in individuals with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency or unknown G6PD status, certain psychiatric histories, and known hypersensitivity to tafenoquine or related compounds. The company also details warnings and precautions related to hemolytic anemia, methemoglobinemia, psychiatric effects, hypersensitivity reactions, and delayed adverse reactions due to the long half-life of tafenoquine. Frequently reported adverse reactions include headache, dizziness, back pain, gastrointestinal symptoms, and certain laboratory abnormalities.
Expansion into babesiosis and other vector-borne indications
In addition to malaria prophylaxis, 60 Degrees Pharmaceuticals, Inc. sponsors clinical research programs involving tafenoquine in patients with babesiosis, a tick-borne illness caused by Babesia parasites. Company announcements describe several clinical trials, including:
- An open-label, expanded access study (NCT06478641) of tafenoquine in combination with conventional treatments in high-risk patients with relapsing babesiosis.
- A double-blind, randomized, multi-site placebo-controlled trial (NCT06207370) in hospitalized patients diagnosed with babesiosis.
- The B-FREE Chronic Babesiosis Study (NCT06656351), a Phase 2 open-label trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of the ARAKODA regimen of tafenoquine over 90 days in patients diagnosed with chronic babesiosis, with endpoints focused on fatigue and parasite eradication.
Company communications repeatedly state that tafenoquine has not been proven to be effective for the treatment or prevention of babesiosis and is not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for any babesiosis indication. The babesiosis studies are described as intended to evaluate safety and efficacy and to help clarify the clinical significance of Babesia infection in various patient populations.
60 Degrees Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has also reported sponsoring or funding research related to Babesia infection and chronic fatigue, including a study at North Carolina State University that examined Babesia infection in patients with chronic fatigue. The company notes that this work contributes to ongoing efforts within the vector-borne disease community to understand potential links between Babesia infection and chronic disease.
Collaborations and research relationships
Public statements from the company describe collaborations with research and academic organizations in the United States and Australia, and in some cases also in Singapore. Examples mentioned include a sponsored research agreement with Tulane University to evaluate tafenoquine activity against Borrelia (associated with Lyme disease) and Bartonella bacteria, and clinical trial agreements with the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City for babesiosis studies.
The company also notes that its mission has been supported through in-kind funding from the U.S. Department of Defense and private institutional investors, including Knight Therapeutics Inc., which it identifies as a Canadian-based Pan-American specialty pharmaceutical company. These disclosures highlight the role of external partners in supporting research and development activities around vector-borne diseases.
Corporate and listing information
According to an 8-K filing, 60 Degrees Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is incorporated in Delaware and is an emerging growth company under U.S. securities regulations. Its common stock, with a par value of $0.0001 per share, and its warrants are registered under Section 12(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and listed on The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC under the symbols SXTP and SXTPW.
The company has disclosed corporate actions such as a reverse stock split of its common stock, approved by stockholders and its board of directors, with the stated purpose of helping the company comply with Nasdaq’s minimum bid price requirement for continued listing. The reverse split affects issued and outstanding shares and related equity-linked securities but, as described, does not change the total number of authorized shares or the par value of the common stock.
Business activities and pipeline orientation
Across its news releases, 60 Degrees Pharmaceuticals, Inc. describes its business as specializing in developing and commercializing new medicines for vector-borne disease. The company’s activities include:
- Marketing and commercial support for ARAKODA (tafenoquine) for malaria prophylaxis in the United States, with references to sales and marketing initiatives and pharmacy deliveries.
- Clinical development programs evaluating tafenoquine in babesiosis, including chronic and relapsing forms of the disease.
- Sponsored research and collaborations focused on vector-borne pathogens and related chronic conditions.
In addition, the company has described initiatives such as expanding its inside sales team for ARAKODA, engaging in partnerships to broaden offer visibility for patients and prescribers, and implementing digital marketing campaigns aimed at prescriber audiences. These activities are presented as part of the company’s efforts to support the commercial performance of its approved product and to advance its research programs.
Regulatory and safety considerations
Because its lead product is a prescription antimalarial, 60 Degrees Pharmaceuticals, Inc. provides extensive safety information in its public communications. This includes contraindications, warnings, and precautions associated with tafenoquine, as well as guidance related to specific populations such as pregnant women and lactating mothers of G6PD-deficient infants. The company also notes potential drug interactions, advising avoidance of co-administration with drugs that are substrates of certain transporters.
In its descriptions of babesiosis research, the company reiterates that no FDA-approved treatment or vaccine exists specifically for babesiosis and that chronic babesiosis and related conditions are areas of unmet medical need. Its clinical trials are framed as efforts to generate data on the safety and efficacy of tafenoquine in these settings and to clarify the size and characteristics of the patient populations affected.
Position within the medicinal and botanical manufacturing industry
Within the medicinal and botanical manufacturing industry, 60 Degrees Pharmaceuticals, Inc. presents itself as a company with a focused therapeutic area: vector-borne disease. Rather than describing a broad therapeutic portfolio, its public information centers on tafenoquine-based products and associated research programs. This focus, combined with collaborations with academic and governmental partners, shapes its profile as a specialty pharmaceutical company operating at the intersection of infectious disease, tropical medicine, and vector-borne illness.