OrsoBio – a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing treatments for severe metabolic disorders – recently announced the successful completion of a $60 million Series A financing, bringing the total capital raised by the company to $97 million. The funding – which will support the advancement of OrsoBio’s obesity-focused portfolio – was co-led by Longitude Capital and Enavate Sciences. Existing investors Samsara BioCapital and NuevaBio (an affiliate of the founders), and new investor Eli Lilly and Company also participated in the round.
Matthew Young of Longitude Capital and Edd Fleming, MD, of Enavate Sciences, will join the OrsoBio Board of Directors, which includes Samsara representatives Srini Akkaraju, MD, PhD, and Cory Freedland, PhD.
Obesity is a global health crisis that affects more than 40% of U.S. adults, resulting in a range of complications, including diabetes, NASH, cardiovascular diseases, and some cancers. And OrsoBio will utilize the Series A funding to advance the development of its innovative portfolio of four programs focused on obesity and associated metabolic disorders.
1.) Mitochondrial protonophore portfolio – Clinical development of the liver-targeted protonophore TLC-6740 through a Phase 1b study to establish proof of concept and initiation of a Phase 2a study in patients living with obesity and advancement of IND-enabling activities for TLC-1235, a controlled-release mitochondrial protonophore.
2.) TLC-3595 (ACC2 inhibitor) – Completion of a Phase 2a study in patients with insulin resistance/diabetes (NCT05665751) and preparations for a Phase 2b study.
3.) TLC-2716 (LXR inverse agonist) – Completion of a Phase 2a study in patients with severe hypertriglyceridemia (SHTG)/nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and groundwork for a Phase 2b program.
4.) ACMSD inhibitor (aminocarboxymuconate semialdehyde decarboxylase inhibitor) – Selection of a development candidate for potential treatment of metabolic and inflammatory liver and kidney disorders and advancement of IND-enabling activities.
KEY QUOTES:
“We are thrilled to welcome our new investors and for the continued support from our existing investors. We are grateful for the continued trust in our team and commitment to our mission to improve clinical outcomes in patients with obesity and associated metabolic disorders. This financing is an important milestone for OrsoBio that will enable us to progress our portfolio of first-in-class compounds targeting fundamental aspects of energy metabolism towards key clinical milestones.”
— Mani Subramanian, MD, PhD, CEO and Founder of OrsoBio
“We have high conviction in the OrsoBio team, the company’s differentiated portfolio, and its strategy to pursue complementary approaches to meaningfully impact the burden of a range of metabolic conditions that affect substantial patient populations.”
— Matthew Young, Managing Director at Longitude Capital
“OrsoBio’s commitment to addressing unmet needs in obesity, diabetes, and associated diseases aligns with our vision for transformative healthcare. While we’ve witnessed remarkable breakthroughs in the treatment of obesity and diabetes, notably with GLP-1 receptor agonists, there remains a high unmet need for effective and safe oral therapies that are complementary to, and can be used in combination with, these agents.”
— Edd Fleming, MD, Executive Vice President, Commercialization at Enavate Sciences
“We have worked closely with the experienced development team at OrsoBio since helping found the Company in 2020 and are proud of its track record of success and of the tremendous progress it has realized since emerging from stealth last year. I look forward to continuing to partner with the executive leadership team and new members of the Board to accelerate the evolution and advancement of the Company’s novel pipeline to improve the care of patients living with metabolic diseases.”
— Srini Akkaraju, MD, PhD, Founder and Managing Partner of Samsara BioCapital and founding OrsoBio board member
