Biotech Startup Zeling Pharma Secures Over RMB 100 Million in Series A Funding Just Two Years After Inception

　　【Pharmaceutical Network Corporate NewsSince 2021, the biopharmaceutical sector in China has continued to experience a wave of financing, which has not slowed down as the year comes to an end. On the evening of December 7, Guizhou Bailing Group Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. also announced that its participating subsidiary, Zenitar (Chengdu Zenitar Biopharmaceutical Technology Co., Ltd.), successfully completed an A-round financing of over 100 million yuan. The funds raised will help Zenitar further optimize its shareholder structure, accelerate the new drug development process, strengthen the research team, upgrade scientific research equipment, diversify the R&D pipeline, and rapidly expand the company’s scale.
 

This round of financing was led by the Sichuan Province Science and Technology Achievements Transformation Equity Investment Fund managed by Chuangtou Ventures, with participation from Chengdu Biological City No.1 Equity Investment Fund Partnership (Limited Partnership), Sichuan Academician Science and Technology Innovation Equity Investment Guidance Fund Partnership (Limited Partnership), Shenzhen Fuguo Wealth Venture Capital Partnership (Limited Partnership), and Pengzhou Global Biomedical Technology Achievements Transformation Equity Investment Fund Partnership (Limited Partnership).
 

Data shows that Zenitar, established on April 29, 2019, is a company dedicated to innovative drug research and industrialization. The company’s shareholders include Professor Chen Lijuan's team, Huaxi Health Technology Co., Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of West China Hospital of Sichuan University, and Guizhou Bailing Group Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
 

It is worth mentioning that, although it was established not long ago, Zenitar has relatively strong platforms for drug discovery and drug synthesis, pharmacokinetic evaluation, in vitro pharmacodynamics and target validation, and in vivo pharmacodynamics evaluation. Leveraging the advantages of these platforms, the company has continuously advanced in scientific research and innovation in recent years. Currently, it has a total of 9 innovative drug pipelines under development, covering multiple therapeutic areas such as malignant tumors, autoimmune diseases, neurological disorders, and digestive system diseases, and spanning popular product fields including small molecule drugs and ADCs (antibody-drug conjugates).
 

From the progress, the chemical drug Class 1 new drug "Purinostat Mesylate Injection" for treating hematological tumors has received clinical trial notification in China and FDA clinical approval in the United States. The product's invention patent has been authorized by 9 major countries and organizations worldwide, covering over 30 major countries globally. This product is an HDAC inhibitor (Histone Deacetylase Inhibitor). Currently, Phase I clinical trials jointly conducted at West China Hospital of Sichuan University and the Affiliated Hospital of Guizhou Medical University are nearing completion. Based on the completed trial results, PM monotherapy has already achieved the efficacy of first-line clinical treatment drugs. Industry experts believe that the product has promising prospects.
 

A New Category 1 Chemical Drug for the Treatment of Myeloproliferative Neoplasms (MPN), "Flunotinib Maleate Tablets," has also received a Clinical Trial Notice in China. To date, the product has filed 27 patent applications, with 21 already granted, including 7 Chinese patents. This drug is a highly selective inhibitor with a clear target, and preclinical studies have shown its efficacy to be superior to that of other marketed drugs targeting the same site.
 

In addition, ZL82, a Class 1 new chemical drug that is a highly selective JAK3 inhibitor, is expected to submit a clinical trial application by the end of 2021 and is anticipated to be approved for clinical research between March and April 2022. Its indications are rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease. Preclinical "head-to-head" trials with marketed drugs targeting the same pathway have demonstrated superior efficacy compared to existing drugs. In the next five years, Zenitar (Chengdu Zenitar Biopharmaceutical Technology Co., Ltd.) is expected to advance several additional Class 1 new drugs into clinical research.