Opthea Ltd. announced it plans to raise up to AU$227.3 million (US$150 million) to extend its cash runway through the data readout for its two phase III pivotal trials of sozinibercept (OPT-302) in wet age-related macular degeneration.

Fresh from the sale of one antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) company, Jack Elands has formed another, raising €30 million (US$32.2 million) in seed funding for Adcytherix SAS. The newco brings together the same cast as Elands’ former company, Emergence Therapeutics, which was sold to Eli Lilly and Co. for an undisclosed sum in a deal that closed in August 2023.

Biopharma financings rebounded in May, reaching $9.15 billion and marking a 48% increase from $6.18 billion in April. However, value is down from the $13.84 billion in financings seen in March and $22.3 billion in February. This year’s monthly average of $12.52 billion reflects an 112% increase from the average of $5.91 billion per month in 2023.

Australian radiopharmaceutical company Telix Pharmaceuticals Ltd. announced its IPO on the Nasdaq to raise $200 million to advance its late-stage radiopharma candidates. Headquartered in Melbourne, Telix has operations in the U.S., Europe (Belgium and Switzerland) and Japan with an extensive pipeline of theranostic radiopharmaceutical candidates.

Life sciences venture capital company, Brandon Capital, announced the first close of its sixth fund for AU$270 million (US$180 million) during the 2024 Biotechnology Innovation Organization International Convention in San Diego. Fund VI will see Brandon Capital continue to seed new Australian and New Zealand life sciences startups, as well as advance its expansion into international markets, particularly in the U.K., Europe, and the U.S.