Largest private biotech investment as of April 2023
April 2023 saw the companies Orbital Therapeutics, Sangon Biotech and Alentis Therapeutics bag the biggest biotech investments of the month. Worldwide, oncology, drug discovery, food and biomaterials attract the largest rounds of funding.
With reported venture capital investments in biotech and pharmaceuticals hitting their lowest levels in more than three years in the last quarter, private biotech fundraisers in April 2023 were short of major funding rounds in large numbers. However, there are still some important investments being made around the world.
We’ve rounded up the largest biotech investments going into private companies around the world in April. The company has split into verticals focused on the healthcare and biotechnology industries.
Health investment in April 2023
Orbital Therapeutics bagged $270 million in a series A round in the largest private biotechnology healthcare investment in the US this month. The company is working to expand the application of RNA-based drugs in a variety of diseases and is building the first RNA platform that integrates existing and emerging RNA delivery technologies and mechanisms.
The top European biotech healthcare investment went to Swiss company Alentis Therapeutics. The Series C round saw them raise $105 million to support phase 1 and 2 trials of its major investigative products ALE.C04 and ALE.F02, for the treatment of cancer and organ fibrosis, as well as the development of the claudin-1 (CLDN1) platform.
In the Asia-Pacific region, Alebund Pharmaceuticals China received $29.3 million in a pre-series C round. The company discovers and develops a line of therapies to treat kidney disease, with the primary drug candidate focusing on hyperphosphatemia.
In the near future, another Chinese company, Zephyrm Biotechnologies, successfully raised $29 million in series B financing to support phase 1 and 2 trials of human pluripotent stem cell candidates for lung disease, degenerative joint disease, central nervous system (CNS) disease. . , and much more.
Another life science investment in April 2023
Beyond the health sector, biotech companies are stepping up heavy investments to advance food, biomaterials and agricultural research.
In this space, the US’s largest investment round went to precision farming company Vytelle. It raised $20 million in series B funding to accelerate genetic progress in cattle by providing customers with accessible, reliable and predictable reproductive technology.
Meanwhile, in Europe, the largest round went to German company AMSilk, which raised $27 million in its Series C extended round, bringing its total to $59 million. The company has a biofabrication platform based on silk protein and produces biofabricated materials for use in various applications, such as textile fibres, medical devices and consumer goods.
The Asia-Pacific region has not seen many private biotech investment deals outside of healthcare. The only significant investment went to Sangon Biotech, which raised an impressive $290.3 million in private equity to expand talent recruitment and increase R&D investment. Companies leverage technologies including DNA synthesis and gene sequencing to develop product portfolios.
May highlight
May 2023 has started with several important funding rounds for private biotech companies. For example, Initial Therapeutics launched with a $75 million Series A funding on the first day of each month to create a new line of drugs designed to stop the formation of difficult protein targets for drugs.
Meanwhile, Convergent Therapeutics, which is focused on developing next-generation radiopharmaceuticals to treat cancer, just announced the completion of its $90 million Series A round.
