Shanghai, China. May 10, 2021 – Alebund Pharmaceuticals (“Alebund” or the “Company”), a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing innovative therapies for the treatment of renal diseases and related chronic conditions, today announced that it has raised $60 million in its Series B financing round which was led by Quan Capital, and followed by a prominent sovereign wealth fund, 3E Bioventures Capital, and Sherpa Healthcare Partners. Existing Shareholders, Lilly Asia Ventures and Med-Fine Capital, also took part in this financing round. Proceeds raised from this round will be invested in the research and development of pre-clinical assets, clinical programs, the construction of the manufacturing site, and the expansion of Company’s talent pool.
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a condition that poses a growing threat to public health worldwide and has seen its incidence steadily rising in recent years. In China, the latest epidemiology data show that the prevalence of CKD in the adult population is as high as 10.8%, which amounts to a total patient population of 120 million with over one million renal patients at the terminal stage. Meanwhile, the diagnosis rate of CKD in China is just 12.5% [1], thus suggests enormous unmet patient need for diagnosis and treatment.
As China’s first biopharmaceutical company focusing on the development of novel renal therapies, the $60 million raised from Alebund’s Series B financing round sets a record for the amount raised in a single financing round by any nephrology-focused biopharmaceutical company in China. The participation of numerous renowned institutional investors specialized in the biopharmaceutical industry has once again signified the recognition of Alebund’s robust capabilities and deep expertise by the global capital market. After three years of rapid growth since its inception, the Company has built a diversified and balanced pipeline of drug candidates targeting a range of major renal diseases, including CKD/Dialysis complications, IgA nephropathy, diabetic kidney disease, and autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). The most clinically-advanced product in the Company’s pipeline has best-in-class potential in the treatment of hyperphosphatemia. This drug candidate is currently being evaluated in a Phase II trial and is expected to enter Phase III registrational study next year. Supported by the sufficient funding, Alebund is poised to further accelerate the research and development of its hyperphosphatemia candidate and other pipeline assets, and to advance the building of its manufacturing site.
Dr. Gavin Xia, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Alebund, commented, “This financing round has secured sufficient funding for the coming year to accelerate the development of our clinical programs and early-stage projects. Capitalizing on our strong track record and deep expertise in the R&D of renal therapies, we will press ahead with our innovation in nephrology to bring more effective therapies to renal patients both in China and around the world, and to make Alebund a leader and prominent player in the development of novel therapies for renal diseases.”
Dr. Jin Tian, Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer of Alebund, said, “I recall reading an article in a scientific journal early this year titled ‘Renal innovation: the long winter is finally over’, and we are pleased that we had the foresight of establishing Alebund three years ago, as China’s first biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing novel therapies for renal diseases. Our founding tenet is to revere the nature, follow the science, and serve the patients. This patient-focused mission drives our commitment to developing accessible novel therapeutics for renal patients in China and around the world.”
Dr. Marietta Wu, Managing Director of Quan Capital, noted, “Alebund and its leadership team have an outstanding track record and deep expertise in the field of nephrology. We are very impressed by the management team’s experience and ability to execute. Quan Capital has long been interested in the field of nephrology, and we are fortunate to share the same therapeutic focus with Alebund. We hope our support will help Alebund further establish itself in the field of nephrology, facilitate the Company’s long-term growth, and ultimately bring more innovative therapies to the broad population of renal patients.”
“Alebund Pharmaceuticals is a leading renal disease therapeutics company incubated by Lilly Asia Ventures. The Alebund team has deep expertise in renal disease and their pipeline has high potential not only in China but also globally. Lilly Aisa Ventures will continue to support the company in their tireless efforts to bring innovative, life-saving renal therapeutics to the market,” said Dr. Yi Shi, Founding managing partner of Lilly Asia Ventures.
About Alebund Pharmaceuticals
Alebund was founded in Shanghai in early 2018, as a startup jointly incubated by a group of industry leaders in the field of nephrology and Lilly Asia Ventures. By 2020, Alebund had completed its Series A+ financing round jointly led by Huagai Capital and Med-Fine Capital, followed by Lilly Asia Ventures. Alebund is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company and is dedicated to the discovery and development of novel therapies and to providing better clinical solutions to patients with kidney diseases and related chronic conditions.
Alebund has built a diversified and balanced pipeline of drug candidates targeting a range of renal diseases, including chronic kidney disease (CKD)/dialysis complications, IgA nephropathy, diabetic kidney disease, and autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). Alehund’s pipeline comprises both small-molecule and biologic assets. At present, the most advanced product in the Company’s pipeline has best-in-class potential in the treatment of hyperphosphatemia. This drug candidate is currently being evaluated in a Phase II trial and is expected to enter Phase III registrational study next year.
About Lilly Asia Ventures (LAV)
Lilly Asia Ventures (LAV) is a leading biomedical venture capital firm established in 2008. Our vision is to become the trusted partner for exceptional entrepreneurs seeking smart capital and to build great companies developing breakthrough products that treat diseases and improve human health. For more information, please visit www.lillyasiaventures.com.
About Quan Capital
Quan Capital is a life sciences venture capital firm with strong China expertise and global capabilities. We discover, incubate, and grow next-generation life science companies in early and growth stage, worldwide. Our portfolio companies pioneer differentiated therapies and enabling technologies to address major human diseases with high unmet medical needs.
Quan has offices in Shanghai, Menlo Park and Boston. Our investment professionals combine their strong expertise in both science and business with their diverse experiences in global drug development and healthcare investments, and they leverage their broad network worldwide to help maximize the company’s value across geographies and development stages.
Visit www.quancapital.com to learn more about us.
About Huagai Capital
Huagai Capital is a private equity firm co-founded in 2012 by professionals from top investment institutions. Huagai Capital’s mission is to become a leading global asset management company, with a focus on China’s equity investment market. We are committed to working together with our portfolio and assisting them in reaching their full potential as market leaders in their respective industries. Huagai Capital is focused on investments in the Healthcare, TMT and Digital industries, currently with near 20 billion RMB assets under management.
About Med-Fine Capital
Founded in 2016, Med-Fine Capital is a VC firm investing in the healthcare and life sciences sectors. Comprised of a team of experienced investors and professionals, Med-Fine Capital provides early stage and fast-growth stage companies with capital, professional expertise, and valuable resources.
About 3E Bioventures
3E Bioventures Capital is dedicated to investing in cutting-edge life sciences and biomedical technologies, with a focus on breakthrough first-in-class therapies and disruptive cross-disciplinary innovations in medical devices and diagnostics. 3E Bioventures takes on a science-driven, entrepreneur-friendly investment philosophy by working closely with companies and research institutions to develop drugs or products that have strong unmet medical needs. With offices in Beijing, Shanghai, and the San Francisco Bay Area, 3E Bioventures leverages its experience, capabilities, and network to help companies tap into markets and resources across the Pacific and advance with greater speed and capital efficiency.
About Sherpa Healthcare Partners
Sherpa Healthcare Partners (“Sherpa”) was founded in 2018. The founders previously worked together in one of China’s leading venture capital firms, built and led its professional healthcare investment team since 2011, set up the dedicated healthcare investment fund and responsible for healthcare investment. The founders have been teamed together in close co-operation, built on shared values, mutual trust, and complementary capabilities. Sherpa has invested in leading companies in many key areas, such as Pharma, GeneTech, MedTech and Medical services. From 2011 to 2020, the team has gone through 4 vintage year cycles and made over 100 investments. Sherpa has the honor to work with many outstanding entrepreneurs and grow together with them.
Reference
- Luxia Zhang, Fang Wang, Li Wang, et al. Prevalence of chronic kidney disease in China: a cross-sectional survey. Lancet. 2012 Mar 3; 379(9818): 815–822. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(12)60033-6.
礼邦医药完成 6000 万美元 B 轮融资，加速推进肾脏病新药研发及解决方案开发
（中国上海，2021 年 5 月 10 日）礼邦医药（Alebund Pharmaceuticals），一家致力于肾脏病以及相关慢性病药物开发的生物制药公司，宣布完成 6000 万美元的 B 轮融资。本轮融资由泉创资本领投，国际知名主权基金、本草资本、夏尔巴投资跟投，公司现有投资者礼来亚洲基金及幂方资本等继续跟投。本轮融资将用于推进礼邦医药产品管线研发，临床研究推进，生产基地建设，以及团队扩充。
慢性肾脏病已经成为一项日益严重的全球性公共卫生健康问题，其发病率呈现逐年增高趋势。仅以我国为例，现有流行病学调查资料显示，成年人群慢性肾脏病患病率高达 10.8%，患者人数将近 1.2 亿，其中超过 100 万患者为终末期肾病患者，而与此同时，我国慢性肾病诊断率仅为 12.5% [1]，从而在诊断及治疗上存在极大的尚未被满足的患者需求。
作为中国第一家专注肾脏病领域新药研发的企业，礼邦医药此次 6000 万美元的 B 轮融资金额创下了中国肾脏病领域公司单笔最高融资金额。多个国内外知名医疗行业资本的投资，也再次印证全球资本市场对于礼邦医药在肾脏病新药领域的强大研发能力及专业性的认可。经过三年的蛰伏和积累，公司已经建立起了丰富且均衡的产品管线，包括针对慢性肾脏病（CKD）/透析并发症，IgA 肾病，糖尿病肾病和常染色体显性多囊肾病等多个候选产品。研发进度最快的治疗高磷血症的产品具备 best-in-class（同类最佳）潜力，正处于临床二期阶段，并预计于明年启动三期注册性临床研究。在强有力的资本支持下，礼邦医药有望进一步加速该产品及其它管线药物的研发与临床开发工作，以及推进生产基地的建设。
礼邦医药首席执行官兼联合创始人夏国尧博士表示：“此次融资为礼邦的临床管线开发及后续推进储备了更为充足的资金。凭借礼邦团队在肾脏病领域的深厚积累和相关药物研发的专业经验，我们将继续深耕肾脏病领域的创新药研发，早日为中国及全球肾脏病患者提供更优治疗方案，并此成为全球肾脏病领域创新药物研发的引领者。”
礼邦医药首席医学官兼联合创始人田劲医生表示：“今年年初看到一篇国际期刊文章报道‘肾脏药物创新：漫长的冬天终于结束’，我们很高兴已领先一步在三年前就创建了礼邦医药，中国第一家专注于肾脏病新药开发的平台公司。礼邦医药的宗旨是‘礼以道行，民为邦本’，也就是敬畏自然，遵循科学，以患者需求为先，开发高质可及的药物为中国乃至全球肾病患者提供更优的治疗。”
泉创资本董事总经理巫荟表示：“礼邦医药及其领导团队在肾病领域深耕积淀、厚积薄发，其丰富的经验和卓越的领导力执行力给我们留下深刻印象。泉创资本长期关注肾病领域，我们很有幸能与公司的理念深度契合，希望可以助力礼邦医药在肾病领域更上一层楼，支持礼邦医药的长期战略发展，为广大肾病患者带来更多创新药物。”
礼来亚洲基金创始管理合伙人施毅表示：“礼邦医药是礼来亚洲基金孵化的专注于肾脏病及相关慢病领域创新药研发的平台公司。礼邦医药肾脏病产品管线丰富而独特，我们相信未来在国际市场也会极具竞争力。礼来亚洲基金会持续投入，支持礼邦医药的发展及研制更多造福病患的创新药产品。”
关于礼邦医药（Alebund）
2018 年初，礼邦医药由最顶尖的肾脏病领域行业领导者和礼来亚洲基金共同孵化于中国上海。截至 2020 年，礼邦医药已完成礼来亚洲基金主导的孵化轮及华盖长三角医疗基金和幂方资本共同领投的 A+ 轮融资。目前是一家处于临床阶段的生物制药公司，具有强大的新药研发和临床开发能力。公司主要致力于肾脏病以及其他相关慢性疾病的创新药物发现和开发，为肾脏病及相关慢性疾病患者提供更佳的临床解决方案。
礼邦医药已经建立起了丰富且均衡的肾脏病新药产品管线，包括针对慢性肾病（CKD）/透析并发症，IgA 肾病，糖尿病肾病和和常染色体显性多囊肾病等产品，公司同时拥有小分子药物和生物制剂在研。目前，公司研发进度最快的治疗高磷血症的 best-in-class 产品正处于临床二期研究阶段，并预计明年启动三期注册性临床研究。
关于礼来亚洲基金
关于礼来亚洲基金：礼来亚洲基金（LAV）成立于 2008 年，是领先的专注于生命科学和医疗健康行业投资的风险基金，在中国上海、中国香港和美国硅谷均设有办公室。礼来亚洲基金致力于成为杰出创业者寻求智慧资本时的可靠伙伴，共创以突破性产品战胜疾病并改善人类健康的伟大公司。
关于泉创资本
泉创资本是一家专注于早期和成长阶段生命科学领域的创投基金。以创新为驱动，以科学和商业上的独特洞见为向导，在全球范围内寻找、创建、投资有快速发展前景的生命科学领军企业。其投资组合中的公司包括前沿的创新疗法、尖端的技术平台，以及能填补生态系统空白的行业佼佼者。泉创资本目前在上海，旧金山和波士顿设有办公室。凭借丰富的行业经验和深厚的业内资源，其专业投资人甄别和孵化下一代的优秀公司，并尽其所能，鼎力支持新兴医药科技企业的战略、运营和发展，在全球范围内辅助不同发展阶段的公司转型，帮助公司实现价值的最大化。
关于华盖长三角医疗基金
华盖资本成立于 2012 年，是由一批来自境内外业界知名投资机构的专业人士共同创立的私募股权投资机构。公司以“成为创业者与投资人最信赖的资本伙伴”为愿景，聚焦医疗健康、TMT、数字创新三大领域的私募股权投资，致力于推动中小企业成长为行业领军者。目前公司管理资产规模约 200 亿人民币。
关于幂方资本
幂方资本（Med-Fine Capital）医疗基金设立于 2016 年，是一支专注于医药健康与生命科学领域的专业投资基金。基金团队在医药健康领域具有深厚产业背景、丰富行业资源及专业投资经验。基金已完成了近五十家新星企业投资。秉承“专注医药健康与生命科学，发挥资本价值并回报信任”理念，幂方资本致力于成为一家开放式平台型国际竞争力突出且享誉深远的专业医药投资基金。
关于本草资本
本草资本是一家致力于投资全球领先生命科学及医疗健康企业的专业化基金，侧重于创新医药和交叉创新的医疗器械和诊断技术两大投资方向。核心创始团队均为海外生物医药相关专业博士，拥有医药生物科技行业多年实践积累以及国内外十年以上的成功投资和创业经验，兼具专业背景、行业经验和国际视野。本草资本是人民币和美元双币种基金管理人，累计投资和孵化 50 余家境内外医疗创新企业，在北京、上海、硅谷设有办公室。本草资本秉持“成就伟大医疗健康企业，树立国际专业投资品牌”的愿景，为优秀的创业团队赋能助力，为投资人带来优异的业绩回报。
关于夏尔巴投资
夏尔巴投资创立于 2018 年，创始人曾共事于中国知名风险投资公司，2011 年创建并领导其医疗投资团队，负责医疗投资和管理医疗基金。夏尔巴投资团队同心同德，和衷共济，历经风雨，砥砺前行，已成为中国医疗健康领域有影响力的风险投资机构，在生命科技、医药、器械诊断、医疗服务等重点赛道上投出多个行业龙头企业。十年磨一剑，从 2011 年到 2020 年，历经了 4 个基金年份及 100 余个医疗项目的锤炼，有幸与众多优秀创业者携手同行，一起成长。
参考文献
- Luxia Zhang, Fang Wang, Li Wang, et al. Prevalence of chronic kidney disease in China: a cross-sectional survey. Lancet. 2012 Mar 3; 379(9818): 815–822. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(12)60033-6.