Pro-heal Pharmaceuticals Secures RMB 40 Million Equity Investment from Shuanglu Pharma to Advance Ophthalmic Drug Pipeline

Jun 23, 2024 11:19 CST Updated 11:19

Pro-heal

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Recently,Pro-heal Pharmaceuticals (hereinafter referred to as "Pro-heal")Pro-heal Pharmaceuticals Secures RMB 40 Million in Equity Investment from Beijing SL Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. This round of financing, exclusively invested by SL Pharmaceutical, will be used for the development of Pro-heal's ophthalmology clinical drug pipeline. Currently, two ophthalmic drug products are in the clinical development stage.

Yuansheng Venture Capital at 2In March 2021, led the Pre-Series A investment in Pro-heal Pharmaceuticals.ARound of Financing。

The core team members of Pro-heal are composed of several returned overseas PhDs who have worked in well-known foreign pharmaceutical companies.Pro-heal has comprehensively laid out the research and development of innovative drugs for ophthalmic and autoimmune diseases with novel mechanisms of action, demonstrating a strong advantage particularly in the development of new drugs for immune-related eye diseases.Currently, Pro-heal has several projects advancing to the preclinical research and clinical trial stages. Among them, the drug PHP1003 for treating thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy has entered Phase II clinical trials, becoming the first domestically developed innovative drug of its kind in China to treat this disease.

PHP1003 Injection is the first domestically developed and innovative subcutaneous injection drug targeting IGF1R in China to enter clinical trials, characterized by significant preclinical efficacy, convenient medication management, and high safety. Its current clinical indication is primarily for the treatment of Thyroid-Associated Ophthalmopathy (TAO or TED). In June 2022, Pro-heal's targeted IGF1R antibody PHP1003 Injection received tacit approval from the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) for clinical trials, allowing it to proceed with trials for Thyroid-Associated Ophthalmopathy. TEPEZZA is currently the world’s only approved monoclonal antibody (IGF-1R antibody) for the treatment of moderate to severe TAO, administered via intravenous infusion, and has not yet been approved for marketing in China. TEPEZZA achieved sales of $820 million in its first year of approval, $1.66 billion in 2021, and $2 billion in 2022, with projected peak sales exceeding $4 billion. With the rising proportion of the population in China experiencing abnormal thyroid function, the PHP1003 project holds significant market potential domestically.

PHP0101 Eye Drops: The First Self-Developed Drug in China to Reach the Clinical Stage for Non-Pilocarpine Treatment of PresbyopiaAnimal studies have shown that PHP0101 eye drops take effect quickly, selectively targeting specific tissues. This is significantly different from widely-acting cholinergic receptor agonists used in presbyopia drugs, offering better tolerance, higher safety, and longer-lasting effects. On January 12, 2024, the Investigational New Drug (IND) application for PHP0101 eye drops received tacit approval from the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA). Presbyopia, a common visual issue among middle-aged and elderly individuals, has an incidence rate of 56.9% in China’s population aged 35 and above, affecting approximately 390 million people. As a non-invasive treatment option, drug therapy can improve quality of life and work efficiency, playing a significant role in treating presbyopia. Currently, no presbyopia drugs are approved for marketing in China, and existing clinical treatments have various drawbacks, highlighting the urgent need to develop new and more ideal therapeutic options.

About Pro-heal

Pro-heal Pharmaceuticals, registered in 2019 and located in BioBAY, the biopharmaceutical park of Suzhou Industrial Park, China, is committed to developing innovative ophthalmic and autoimmune disease drugs that address unmet clinical needs, while also focusing on drug research and development for rare diseases. The core founding team consists of returned overseas pharmaceutical professionals with over two decades of experience in globally renowned pharmaceutical companies such as Allergan, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson. The team’s expertise spans the entire drug R&D process and has successfully developed multiple biological macromolecule drugs and small molecule chemical drugs. In a short time since its establishment, Pro-heal Pharmaceuticals has advanced several pipeline projects from drug discovery and screening to the CMC stage, preclinical, and clinical trial research stages. Among these, PHP1003 Injection, the first domestically developed Class I new drug in China for treating thyroid eye disease, has completed Phase I clinical trials; the IND application for PHP0101 Eye Drops, a treatment for presbyopia, has been accepted by the Center for Drug Evaluation; PHP0003 Eye Drops, a drug with an innovative mechanism for treating wet age-related macular degeneration, is currently in the CMC development phase. Additionally, the company's product pipeline can be further expanded to treat autoimmune diseases such as uveitis, neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders, Sjögren's syndrome, myasthenia gravis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and multiple sclerosis, showing broad application prospects.

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About YuanSheng Venture Capital

Yuansheng Venture CapitalIt is an investment institution focusing on the early and growth-stage healthcare sector, based in Suzhou BioBAY with a global reach. To date, it has completed investments in over 180 outstanding enterprises in the life sciences and healthcare field, spanning four key areas: novel drug development, medical devices, in vitro diagnostics and precision medicine, as well as healthcare services, achieving substantial investment returns. Among these, 19 companies have been listed on capital markets such as the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and the STAR Market. YuanBio Venture Capital has repeatedly been ranked among the top 10 venture capital funds in China’s healthcare sector and recognized as one of the most active healthcare investment institutions in China. With a team of seasoned professional investors and a world-class scientific advisory board, YuanBio Venture Capital possesses extensive experience in entrepreneurship, venture capital, and corporate operations within the biopharmaceutical industry. Leveraging professionalism, focus, and abundant industry resources, we are committed to becoming one of the most successful healthcare and pharmaceutical venture capital funds in China.