AP-30663

▎药明康德内容团队编辑日前，Acesion Pharma宣布已成功完成超额认购的4500万欧元（约合4700万美元）B轮融资，这笔资金将被用于推进其心房颤动（房颤）治疗药物AP31969的临床开发。此次融资由新投资者Canaan和Alpha Wave共同领投，Global BioAccess Fund和现有投资者Novo Holdings参投。Acesion Pharma是一家丹麦生物技术公司，成立于2011年，总部设在哥本哈根。公司拥有20年开发小分子SK离子通道抑制剂的专业技术，其目标是开发更有效、更安全的药物，旨在治疗心房颤动这一最常见的心律失常类型。今年早些时候，Acesion公司公布其另一款在研疗法AP30663的临床2期试验积极结果。分析显示，病患心房颤动可在用药后90分钟内转换成正常窦性节律。试验结果概念性验证AP30663的作用机制。图片来源：123RF这次融资获得款项将被使用于开发其在研SK离子通道抑制剂AP31969，用于治疗心房颤动。AP31969将被开发用于慢性口服维持治疗，以防止房颤复发。在成功完成B轮融资后，该公司已具备充足的资金继续此药物的临床开发。随着融资的完成，Acesion董事会的组成将发生变化。Canaan公司的普通合伙人Tim Shannon先生和Alpha Wave公司的分析师Nik Economopoulos先生将加入董事会。Novo Holdings合伙人Jørgen Søberg Petersen博士将继续担任董事长。公司的现任首席执行官是Anders Gaarsdal Holst博士。他不仅拥有心脏病学的临床和学术研究背景，而且还具有丰富的业界经验。在与美国FDA、欧洲药品管理局（EMA）等主要监管机构的互动中，他积累了大量的经验。大家都在看▲欲了解更多前沿技术在生物医药产业中的应用，请长按扫描上方二维码，即可访问“药明直播间”，观看相关话题的直播讨论与精彩回放参考资料：[1] Acesion Pharma Closes Oversubscribed €45M Series B Financing Round，Retrieved Sep 27, 2023 from https://www.acesionpharma.com/post/acesion-pharma-closes-oversubscribed-45m-series-b-financing-round免责声明：药明康德内容团队专注介绍全球生物医药健康研究进展。本文仅作信息交流之目的，文中观点不代表药明康德立场，亦不代表药明康德支持或反对文中观点。本文也不是治疗方案推荐。如需获得治疗方案指导，请前往正规医院就诊。版权说明：本文来自药明康德内容团队，欢迎个人转发至朋友圈，谢绝媒体或机构未经授权以任何形式转载至其他平台。转载授权请在「药明康德」微信公众号回复“转载”，获取转载须知。分享，点赞，在看，聚焦全球生物医药健康创新

Financing co-led by new investors Canaan and Alpha Wave, and with participation by the Global BioAccess Fund and existing investor Novo Holdings COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Sept. 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Acesion Pharma ('Acesion' or 'the Company'), a biotech company pioneering first-in-class novel therapies for atrial fibrillation ('AF'), the most common cardiac arrhythmia, today announces that it has successfully closed an oversubscribed €45M Series B financing round. The equity financing was co-led by new US-based investors Canaan and Alpha Wave and with participation by the Global BioAccess Fund, as well as existing investor Novo Holdings. The financing will be used to advance the clinical development of AP31969, an SK ion channel inhibitor optimised for chronic oral treatment of AF. Earlier this year, Acesion demonstrated clinical proof-of-concept with AP30663, its first-in-class SK ion channel inhibitor for conversion of AF to normal sinus rhythm. AP31969 will be developed for chronic oral maintenance treatment to prevent AF recurrence. Following the successful Series B financing, Acesion is well capitalised to progress AP31969 into a phase 1 and completion of a phase 2 trial. AF is the most common type of cardiac arrhythmia and is forecast to affect 25 million people in the US and EU by 2030. Existing drug therapies for AF are associated with the risk of serious cardiac or other adverse effects, resulting in a great need for safer drugs. Yet, there has been a lack of innovation and development with no new chronic AF drug approved for nearly 20 years. With AP31969, Acesion is aiming to develop a safer alternative. In connection with the closing of the financing, the composition of the Acesion board of directors will change to include Tim Shannon, General Partner at Canaan, and Nik Economopoulos, Analyst from Alpha Wave. Jørgen Søberg Petersen, Partner at Novo Holdings, will remain Chairman. Anders Gaarsdal Holst, MD, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of Acesion, said, "The high levels of investor interest and demand that we saw during this financing speak to the strong data we have generated, both on the novel mechanism of SK channel inhibition in general and the AP31969 compound specifically. This is a powerful endorsement for our team and the quality of our science. With the financing in hand, we are focused on progressing AP31969 into a phase 1 clinical trial later this year." Tim Shannon, MD, General Partner in Canaan, said, "Acesion is redefining treatment for patients suffering from atrial fibrillation. The impressive preclinical data from AP31969 shows great promise and we are delighted to support Acesion in taking AP31969 through to Phase 2 completion." Jørgen Søberg Petersen, MD, PhD, MBA, Partner in Novo Holdings, said, " As the founding and largest shareholder, Novo Holdings remains committed in helping Acesion realise the full potential of AP31969. The preclinical data is encouraging and with this series B financing in place Acesion will be able to progress the development to the important milestone of completing a phase 2 trial and thereby being ready for phase 3 programme." About Acesion Pharma Acesion builds on 20 years of know-how with development of small-molecule SK inhibitors and is the world leader in the field of SK channel inhibition, being the only company able to identify and progress SK channel inhibitors into clinical trials. In pre-clinical studies, inhibiting the SK channels has been shown to result in pronounced antiarrhythmic effects in the atria while avoiding effects on the ventricles, the major chambers of the heart and the source of most safety issues with existing drugs. Furthermore, the SK channel has strong genetic validation, with genes encoding the SK channels having one of the strongest associations to AF in human genome-wide association studies. Acesion's AP30663 IV is a short acting conversion therapy for hospitals that has completed a phase 2 trial proving the value of this first-in-class mechanism in AF and thereby de-risking Acesion's broader SK inhibitor pipeline. Acesion's oral program is designed and engineered using in house knowhow to optimise for, and meet, very high hurdles in both efficacy and particularly safety where existing treatments fall short of patient needs. Acesion Pharma is backed by Novo Holdings A/S, Canaan, Alpha Wave Alpha Wave Ventures, Global BioAccess Fund, Wellcome Trust, Broadview Ventures and FC Capital. About Canaan Canaan is an early-stage venture capital firm that invests in entrepreneurs with visionary ideas. With $6.8 billion under management, a diversified fund, and hundreds of exits to date, Canaan partners with entrepreneurs building the next generation of technology and healthcare companies that will transform how we live, work, and thrive. To learn more about our people and our portfolio, please visit: About Alpha Wave Alpha Wave is a global investment company that manages a variety of partnerships that separately focus on three main verticals: private equity (venture and growth), credit, and public markets. It is led by Rick Gerson, Navroz Udwadia, and Ryan Khoury. Alpha Wave has offices in New York, Miami, London, Monaco, Madrid, Abu Dhabi, Tel Aviv, Bangalore, Jakarta, and Sydney. Its flagship global venture and growth fund, Alpha Wave Ventures, aims to invest in best-in-class venture and growth-stage companies and endeavors to be helpful long-term partners to the founders and management teams. For more information, please visit . About the Global BioAccess Fund The Global BioAccess Fund invests in companies developing novel therapeutics and devices to address serious unmet medical needs in oncology, cardiovascular, neurological, and rare diseases. Leveraging the deep life sciences expertise and global reach of its management, scientific advisors, and partners, the Global BioAccess Fund actively supports ventures who are in clinical-stage development, including IND enabling studies and clinical trials. See . About Novo Holdings Novo Holdings is a holding and investment company that is responsible for managing the assets and the wealth of the Novo Nordisk Foundation. The purpose of Novo Holdings is to improve people's health and the sustainability of society and the planet by generating attractive long-term returns on the assets of the Novo Nordisk Foundation. Wholly owned by the Novo Nordisk Foundation, Novo Holdings is the controlling shareholder of Novo Nordisk A/S and Novozymes A/S and manages an investment portfolio with a long-term return perspective. In addition to managing a broad portfolio of equities, bonds, real estate, infrastructure and private equity assets, Novo Holdings is a world-leading life sciences investor. Through its Seeds, Venture, Growth, and Principal Investments teams, Novo Holdings invests in life science companies at all stages of development. As of year-end 2022, Novo Holdings had total assets of EUR 108 billion. About atrial fibrillation (AF) AF is the most common type of cardiac arrhythmia mainly affecting the elderly population. Lifetime risk for development of AF is estimated at more than one in three. It is forecast to affect 25 million people in the US and EU by 2030. AF is characterized by chaotic electrical activity in the upper chambers of the heart, the atria, resulting in an irregular and high heart rate. AF is associated with impaired quality of life, increased rate of hospitalization, and a five-fold increased risk of stroke. Increasing evidence suggests that patients with AF also face a higher risk of cognitive dysfunction and dementia. AF is often treated by electrical shock to bring the heart back to its normal rhythm (conversion). This requires general anesthesia in a hospital setting. In addition, many patients are likely to benefit from chronic treatment to prevent AF and maintain normal sinus rhythm. Existing drug therapies for cardioversion or prevention of AF are associated with risk of serious cardiac or other adverse effects, resulting in a great need for safer drugs. Yet, there has been a lack of innovation and development with no new chronic AF drug approved for nearly 20 years. A landmark New England Journal of Medicine published clinical trial () has shown that sinus rhythm maintenance treatment improves survival and long-term outcomes for AF patients. SOURCE Acesion Pharma