AusperBio has closed a $120 million Series C financing to advance its chronic hepatitis B pipeline, including the Phase 3 registrational program and potential commercialization of its lead investigational therapy AHB-137. The financing brings AusperBio’s total capital raised since 2024 to $360 million.
An unnamed strategic investor led the round, with new investor RA Capital Management participating alongside existing investors HanKang Capital, Sherpa Capital, InnoPinnacle Fund, Qiming Venture Partners, YuanBio Venture Capital and CDH Investments.
AusperBio develops targeted oligonucleotide therapeutics, initially focusing on potential treatments for chronic hepatitis B.
The company plans to use the Series C proceeds to support continued development of AHB-137, including its Phase 3 program and preparations that could support commercialization if the drug ultimately receives regulatory approval.
Funding will also accelerate development of AHB-171, an investigational HBV siRNA candidate built on AusperBio’s proprietary Au-HALO targeted delivery platform.
The company also plans to advance next-generation combination approaches for hepatitis B and expand its broader targeted oligonucleotide pipeline.
AHB-137 is an investigational unconjugated antisense oligonucleotide developed using AusperBio’s Med-Oligo ASO platform.
The candidate is designed to suppress hepatitis B surface antigen production, inhibit viral DNA replication and promote immune reactivation, with the objective of achieving a functional cure.
AHB-137 is currently being evaluated in a Phase 3 trial in China following completion of a global Phase 1 study and multiple Phase 2 studies.
The therapy remains investigational and has not been approved by any regulatory authority.
AHB-171 takes a different approach, using AusperBio’s Au-HALO liver-targeting delivery technology to selectively suppress viral gene expression.
It is the first clinical candidate developed using that platform and is intended to broaden the company’s hepatitis B treatment pipeline. AHB-171 is also investigational and has not received regulatory approval.
Chronic hepatitis B affects an estimated 254 million people globally and causes approximately 1.1 million deaths annually, primarily from cirrhosis and liver cancer, according to figures cited from the World Health Organization.
Existing therapies can suppress viral replication but rarely produce a functional cure, leaving many patients dependent on long-term treatment.
KEY QUOTES:
“This financing represents an important inflection point for AusperBio as we advance AHB-137 toward potential commercialization while developing next-generation therapies for CHB. We are grateful for the continued confidence of our existing investors and pleased to welcome RA Capital to AusperBio.”
Dr. Guofeng Cheng, Co-Founder And CEO Of AusperBio
“AHB-137 has demonstrated promising clinical activity in patients and has the potential to serve as a backbone therapy for functional cure of CHB. Our Med-Oligo ASO, Au-HALO targeted delivery and siRNA discovery platforms enable complementary approaches designed to achieve deeper and more durable antiviral responses.”
Dr. Chris Yang, Co-Founder And CSO Of AusperBio
