The $60.8 billion collected by biopharma companies throughout 2022 is a sharp drop from each of the two prior years, down by 48.6% from 2021 and 54.8% from 2020. Each were standout years by any measure and a direct result of the investment fervor for the industry brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. That exuberance diminished in the last year as investors tightened their grips due to economic uncertainties.
Nextpoint Therapeutics Inc. closed an $80 million series B round to move two novel immune checkpoint inhibitor programs into clinical development in the coming year. The Cambridge, Mass.-based firm is planting a flag in an area of immune signaling that has been largely overlooked by drug developers until now.
Aethon Therapeutics Inc. closed a $30 million series A round to develop a novel antibody-based therapeutic strategy for cancer, which relies on the concomitant use of small-molecule covalent inhibitors that form peptide-drug conjugates or beacons.
Baili Biopharmaceutical Co. Ltd. has raised ¥990.47 million (US$146 million) on the Shanghai STAR Market. Its shares opened Jan. 6 at ¥28.75 apiece, surging over 30% its first trading day, and closing at ¥38.40 on Jan.9.
Raynovent Biotech Co. Ltd. has raised ¥370 million (US$54 million) in a series C round to further develop candidates in the field of respiratory and metabolic diseases. Funds will be used to accelerate clinical trials of lead candidates in its pipeline, as well as to prepare for the commercialization of oral pills to treat COVID-19 and influenza A virus.