Alephoson Biopharmaceuticals secures Series A led by FIRHealth Capital to advance global clinical pipeline

Alephoson Biopharmaceuticals recently completed a Series A financing round, raising a total of tens of millions of yuan. This round was led by FIRHealth Capital, with participation from the National Innovation Center par Excellence (NICE) and BOC Investment. The raised funds will be dedicated to the development of the company's disruptive ophthalmic drug delivery platform.

The treatment of fundus diseases currently relies on injection-based drug administration. Frequent intravitreal injections impose a significant burden on both patients and the healthcare system, ultimately leading many patients to discontinue therapy. Leveraging its proprietary cell-penetrating peptide technology, Alephoson has the potential to revolutionize this field by enabling the topical administration of large-molecule drugs via eye drops. The company has already completed validation in multiple preclinical models, including non-human primate disease models, and is poised to initiate global multi-center clinical trials in locations such as the United States and Hong Kong.

Alephoson Biopharmaceuticals stated: "Ophthalmology presents substantial clinical needs, yet the limitations of current treatment modalities prevent many patients from adhering to long-term therapy. Our cell-penetrating peptide delivery platform has, for the first time, unlocked the possibility of administering large-molecule drugs via eye drops. This breakthrough not only applies to the multi-billion dollar global anti-VEGF drug market but also holds potential for expansion into various ophthalmic biologics, including those for inflammation and immunomodulation. In the future, patients will no longer need to endure the pain and risks associated with frequent intravitreal injections. Instead, they will be able to achieve therapeutic effects through a simple, non-invasive eye drop regimen. This shift represents more than just an innovation in drug delivery—it signifies a fundamental transformation in ophthalmic treatment paradigms. We believe Alephoson's technology will serve as the core driver in advancing global fundus disease treatment from the 'era of injections' to the 'era of eye drops,' ultimately benefiting millions of patients with ocular conditions."

FIRHealth Capital commented: "The topical administration of large-molecule drugs via eye drops promises to revolutionize patient compliance and quality of life, while significantly alleviating the burden on healthcare systems—holding tremendous clinical and commercial value. We are highly optimistic about Alephoson's exceptionally innovative and visionary solution, supported by compelling early experimental data. Under the leadership of Dr. Benjamin Lee, we are confident that Alephoson will advance its drug pipeline into clinical stages expeditiously, bringing benefits to patients worldwide."

Established in 2019 and based at the Hong Kong Science Park, Alephoson Biopharmaceuticals conducts its core R&D at the HongKong Science Park facility and Company-sponsored Laboratory at the Fudan University (Shanghai). Alephoson also collaborates with the Byers Eye institute at Stanford University; johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute; Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, and The City University of Hong Kong. In addition, Alephoson outsources certain portion of the research andmanufacturing processes to achieve the milestones globally.

FIRHealth Capital  was founded in 2021 and is the most promising new fund in the field of biomedical health. The company specializes in innovative investment and value discovery in the global biomedical industry. The team brings together high-level talents in the industry, scientific research and venture capital fields, and has Our team brings together high-caliber professionals from industry, academia, and venture capital, possessing extensive experience in both the pharmaceutical sector and investment.