HONG KONG, July 28, 2023 - In the face of ever-changing circumstances, technological innovation remains the eternal driving force behind the long-term growth of biopharmaceutical companies. It continuously breathes life into these enterprises, enabling them to successfully transition from concept to reality in research and development, and ultimately achieve commercial success. Recently, there have been exciting developments in Viva 's seven investment and incubation enterprises: DTx Pharma has reached an acquisition agreement with Novartis; Riparian has signed an exclusive licensing and research agreement with Pfizer; Arthrosi has completed a round of financing; AceLink, VivaVision Biotech, and Domain Therapeutics have all made significant strides in their respective research fields; and HAYA has appointed a new clinical advisory board chairperson.
Riparian Pharmaceuticals Announces Exclusive License Agreement and Research Agreement with Pfizer for Novel Cardiovascular Programs
WATERTOWN, Mass.-- Riparian Pharmaceuticals, a Viva Biotech portfolio company, is a biotechnology company focused on discovering novel therapeutics for cardiovascular diseases. Riparian today announced it has entered into an exclusive license agreement and research agreement with Pfizer.
In exchange for exclusive rights to a Riparian preclinical program, Pfizer will make upfront and milestone payments, as well as pay royalties on sales of resulting therapeutics. As part of the research agreement, Pfizer will support Riparian's efforts to discover further drug targets leading to vasoprotection and will have an option on such targets.
Dr. Zhixiong Ye, CSO of Viva Biotech, said, "Since September 2018, Viva Biotech has been investing and incubating Riparian, embarking on a long-term collaboration with their team in the discovery of novel targets, as well as compound design, synthesis, and testing. Leveraging our years of experience in First-in-class drug development and unique platform advantages, combined with our comprehensive one-stop service capabilities, we have supported Riparian in developing high-quality clinical drug candidates under the guidance of our seasoned team of scientists."
DTx Pharma Reached the Acquisition Agreement with Novartis
SAN DIEGO, July 17, 2023 -- DTx Pharma, invested and incubated by Viva BioInnovator (VBI), is a preclinical stage biotechnology company addressing the delivery challenges of oligonucleotide therapeutics with its Fatty Acid Ligand Conjugated OligoNucleotide (FALCON™) platform. DTx Pharma utilizes its groundbreaking FALCON™ platform, a conjugated oligonucleotide technology using fatty acid ligands, to tackle the delivery challenges of oligonucleotide therapies. According to the terms of the agreement, Novartis will provide an upfront payment of $500 million, with an additional payment of up to $500 million upon the achievement of specified milestones.
The FALCON platform represents a significant advancement as it facilitates the delivery of small interfering RNA (siRNA) therapeutic drugs to tissues beyond the liver, enhancing their activity and enabling more effective biologic distribution and cellular uptake of siRNA drugs.
Notably, DTx Pharma's lead pipeline candidate, DTx-1252, is currently undergoing preclinical development and has obtained FDA orphan drug designation for treating Type 1A Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT1A). In addition to the promising CMT1A project, Novartis will also gain exclusive rights to the FALCON platform and two other early-stage projects aimed at addressing neuro-muscular and central nervous system indications.
Dr. Han Dai, CIO of Viva Biotech and head of Viva BioInnovator, stated, "We are thrilled to have been a part of DTx Pharma's growth story, supporting them from concept validation to preclinical research, and actively participating in multiple rounds of financing. This acquisition is yet another testament to the strategic foresight and expert post-investment support provided by Viva's investment team."
Arthrosi Secures $75M in Series D Financing
SAN DIEGO, July 11, 2023 -- Arthrosi Therapeutics, invested and incubated by Viva BioInnovator (VBI), is a clinical-stage biotechnology company. Recently they announced the successful securing of $75 million in Series D financing. This round is led by Guangrun Health Industry (Hong Kong) Co. Limited and backed by a consortium of investors, including Reichstein Biotech (HK) Co. Limited, a subsidiary of ApicHope Pharmaceuticals. The participation of these notable investors underscores their continued confidence and commitment to the development of AR882. This financing represents another milestone in the development of AR882, a highly potent and selective next-gen URAT1 inhibitor delivered in a once-daily immediate-release oral capsule. AR882 has the potential to change the treatment paradigm for gout, addressing critical aspects such as serum uric acid (sUA) levels, flares, and tophi reduction.
AceLink Therapeutics has been granted FDA approval to commence Phase 2 clinical trials of AL1211 for patients with Fabry disease.
NEWARK, Calif. -- AceLink Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company incubated and invested by Viva BioInnovator (VBI), is working on the development of a next-generation oral substrate reduction therapy (SRT) to address significant unmet medical needs and improve the quality of life for patients with inherited glycosphingolipid metabolic disorders. On June 21st, the company announced that it has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to initiate Phase 2 clinical trials for its leading project, AL1211.
VVN539, a dual-target innovative drug for glaucoma independently developed by VivaVision, reached the primary research endpoint in the Phase II clinical trial in the United States
Recently, VivaVision Biotech-an innovative ophthalmic drug company, which is invested and incubated by Viva BioInnovator (VBI), announced that its dual-target drug VVN539 has reached the primary study endpoint in the US phase II clinical trial for patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension.
Compared with the vehicle group, the 0.04% VVN539 dose group achieved statistical significance and clinical significance at all time points, and the intraocular pressure reduction range was about 5-6 mmHg. The 0.02% VVN539 dose group also achieved statistically significant reductions in IOP compared to the vehicle group at most time points. No significant treatment-related adverse events were observed in the study.
Domain Therapeutics announces nomination of first-in-class PAR2 NAM candidate, DT-9045, to unlock new cancer treatment possibilities
STRASBOURG, France, and MONTREAL, Canada, June 5, 2023 -- Domain Therapeutics ("Domain" or "the Company"), invested and incubated by Viva BioInnovator (VBI), is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative drug candidates in immunooncology targeting G Protein-Coupled Receptors (GPCRs). On June 5th, Domain announced the nomination of a drug candidate, a Negative Allosteric Modulator (NAM) of protease-activated receptor 2 (PAR2), DT-9045, with first-in-class potential for immuno-oncology, particularly for fibrotic tumors.
Domain nominated DT-9045 as a first-in-class PAR2 NAM clinical candidate based on its added value, unique properties, and greater therapeutic potential in comparison to biologics targeting PAR2 currently in the clinic by several competitors. DT-9045 has demonstrated proof-of-concept efficacy in syngeneic models potentiating the antitumor activity of an anti-PD1 treatment.
HAYA Therapeutics has named medical doctor Douglas L. Mann as the chairperson of clinical advisory board
LAUSANNE, Switzerland, and SAN DIEGO -- On June 20th, HAYA Therapeutics, a precision medicine company incubated and invested by Viva BioInnovator (VBI), specializing in the development of targeted therapies for tissue and cell-specific long non-coding RNA (lncRNA), announced the appointment of Dr. Douglas L. Mann as the chairperson of clinical advisory board. Dr. Mann, a renowned expert in cardiology, clinical researcher, and cardiovascular investigator, joining the team is expected to accelerate the advancement of HAYA Therapeutics' heart failure candidate drug, HTX-001, towards clinical trials.
About Riparian Pharmaceuticals
Riparian Pharmaceuticals, Inc., is a privately held biotechnology company founded to discover drug targets and therapeutics that impact endothelial dysfunction and vascular inflammation. These two processes underly and drive several cardiometabolic diseases. Riparian has raised $6M in combined investment and research services from Viva Biotech and JMCR Partners, as well as support from research foundations including the National Institutes of Health and the Massachusetts Life Science Center.
About DTx Pharma
DTx Pharma, Inc. is a privately held biotechnology company, addressing the challenges associated with delivering RNA-based therapeutics beyond the liver with the company's proprietary Fatty Acid Ligand Conjugated OligoNucleotide (FALCON™) technology platform. The FALCON platform leverages fatty acids for enhanced biodistribution and cellular uptake to tissues and cell types throughout the body. In preclinical studies, FALCON siRNAs have demonstrated potent and durable repression of target genes in the peripheral nervous system (PNS), skeletal muscle, heart, skin, and CNS. FALCON siRNAs can be delivered by intravenous, subcutaneous, and intrathecal routes of administration and can be manufactured at a relatively low cost. The company has a pipeline focused on PNS, CNS, and neuromuscular diseases. DTx Pharma has raised more than $115M in combined investment from several of the world's leading healthcare investors including RA Capital Management, Access Biotechnology, Surveyor Capital (a Citadel company), Eli Lilly and Company, Friedman Bioventure, Viva Biotech Holdings, as well as support from research foundations including the CMT Research Foundation (CMTRF) and the National Institutes of Health. To learn more about DTx Pharma, please visit www.dtxpharma.com and follow DTx on LinkedIn and Twitter @DTxPharma.
About Arthrosi
Arthrosi Therapeutics, Inc. was founded in San Diego, CA, in 2018 with a mission to create a revolutionary treatment option to target uric acid levels and reduce joint damage for people living with gout. With its vast therapeutic and treatment knowledge, Arthrosi has accumulated a comprehensive and robust intellectual property portfolio and impressive Phase 1 and Phase 2b data showing industry-leading efficacy rates and superior safety profiles.
About AceLink Therapeutics, Inc.
Founded in 2018, AceLink Therapeutics is an innovative biopharma startup focusing on developing safe and effective medicines to address genetic diseases with high unmet needs. The company's initial focus is to develop novel therapeutics for Fabry disease. For more information, please visit www.acelinktherapeutics.com.
About VivaVision Biotech
VivaVision is a clinical stage pharmaceutical company focused on best-in-class and first-in-class therapies for ocular diseases. VivaVision's current pipeline includes VVN001 for treating dry eye syndrome, VVN539 for the treatment for Glaucoma or Ocular Hypertension, and VVN461 for the treatment of non-infectious ocular inflammation of Uveitis. VivaVision is also engaged in discovery and development of novel therapies for the treatment of other anterior and posterior eye diseases. For more info, visit www.vivavisionbio.com.
About Domain Therapeutics
Domain Therapeutics is a cutting-edge biopharmaceutical company operating in both France and Canada, dedicated to discovering and developing innovative candidate drugs targeting G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). GPCRs represent one of the most significant drug target classes today. The company＇s primary focus is on developing high-value candidate drugs to tackle GPCR-mediated immune suppression in the field of immuno-oncology. In early 2022, the company successfully raised 39 million euros to advance the development of these high-value candidate drugs. For more information, please visit www.domaintherapeutics.com.
About HAYA Therapeutics
HAYA Therapeutics is a precision therapeutics company that discovers and develops innovative tissue- and cell-selective genomic medicines for fibrotic diseases and other serious health conditions associated with aging, including cancer. The company's discovery engine focuses on long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) within the "dark matter" of the human genome -- key tissue and cell-specific drivers of fibrosis and other disease processes -- to identify novel targets and drug candidates with the potential for greater efficacy and safety than existing treatments.
About Viva Biotech Holdings
Established in 2008, Viva Biotech (01873.HK) provides one-stop services ranging from early-stage Structure-Based Drug R&D to commercial drug delivery to global biopharmaceutical innovators. We offer leading early-stage to late-phase drug discovery expertise by integrating our dedicated team of experts, cutting-edge technology platforms, and state-of-the-art equipment in X-ray crystallization, Cryo-EM, ASMS, SPR, HDX, CADD, and much more. Our business covers all aspects of therapeutic strategies and drug modalities, including small molecules and biologics across the pharma and biotech spectrum. The experienced chemistry team, led by senior medicinal chemists and drug discovery biologists, provides services for drug design, medicinal chemistry (hit to lead and lead optimization), custom synthesis, chemical analysis and purification, kilogram scale-up, peptide synthesis and corresponding bioassays. With our subsidiary, Langhua Pharma, we offer our worldwide pharmaceutical and biotech partners a one-stop integrated CMC (Chemical, Manufacturing, and Control) service from preclinical to commercial manufacturing. Additionally, Viva embedded an equity for service (EFS) model to high potential startups to address unmet medical needs.
SOURCE Viva Biotech Holdings
