Oralead Pharma Secures Tens of Millions in Pre-A Funding to Advance Oral Peptide Drug Pipeline

VCBeat has learned that Shenzhen Oralead Pharma Ltd. recently announced the completion of its Pre-A financing round, raising tens of millions of yuan. The round was jointly invested by HLC, BrightGene Bio-Medical Technology Co., Ltd. (a company listed on the STAR Market), and BIOCHING CAPITAL. The funds will primarily be used to advance the core pipeline of oral GLP-1 formulations and accelerate the development of an oral delivery technology platform for biologics.

Shenzhen Oralead Pharma Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Oralead Pharma”) was established in August 2022. Its founding team hails from University College London, a world-leading university. The company focuses on the research of oral delivery technologies and industrial processes for biopharmaceuticals, specializing in internationally advanced oral delivery technologies for macromolecular drugs. With profound expertise and technical accumulation in gastrointestinal physiology and drug absorption kinetics, the team has been deeply involved in advancing global biopharmaceutical oral delivery technologies from research to industrial application.

Biologics, such as peptides and monoclonal antibodies, are often limited to injectable administration in clinical practice due to the unique characteristics of their large-molecule structures. However, injectable delivery presents numerous clinical challenges, including safety risks associated with systemic overexposure to drugs, limitations on treatment settings, and poor patient compliance caused by injection pain. Oralead Pharma has developed Macoral®, a next-generation oral delivery technology for large-molecule drugs based on advanced excipient technologies. This innovation enables the oral administration of large-molecule biologics, effectively addressing the aforementioned clinical pain points. With significant clinical value and improved patient compliance, Macoral® holds broad application prospects. The market for oral large-molecule drugs is characterized by high demand, substantial clinical value, and significant technical barriers. This oral delivery platform breaks the foreign monopoly in the field of oral large-molecule drug delivery and fills a technological gap in China.

Since its establishment, Oralead Pharma has achieved rapid development, completing the construction of over 300 square meters of laboratory space, with an additional 2,000-plus square meters of office and laboratory facilities scheduled to become operational soon. The first phase of its oral delivery technology platform has been established, with several oral peptide drug pipelines in place. Currently, the company is vigorously advancing its existing oral peptide drug pipelines and accelerating the development of its biologics oral delivery technology platform. Positive results have been observed in large animal studies, and the next step involves actively initiating clinical trials to accelerate R&D progress and enhance innovation capabilities.

BrightGene, an investor in this funding round, has also entered into a strategic partnership with Oralead Pharma to collaborate on product pipelines in the field of endocrinology. The two parties aim to leverage their respective strengths to jointly develop safe and effective oral peptide drug candidates for endocrine disorders. Furthermore, Oralead Pharma’s R&D team has established research collaborations with the Shenzhen Research Institute of Tsinghua University and the Guangdong Provincial Center for Innovative Small-Molecule Drugs, jointly setting up R&D centers to further strengthen its research capabilities and technical barriers.

Dr. Dou Liu, Founder and CEO of Oralead Pharma“Thanks to HLC, BrightGene, and BIOCHING CAPITAL for their support and trust in Oralead Pharma during this funding round. With the backing of this financing, Oralead Pharma will further expand its R&D team, deepen research into oral delivery technologies, and accelerate the advancement of its existing pipeline of oral peptide drug candidates. We look forward to moving our investigational pipeline into clinical trials soon, achieving new corporate milestones.”

HLC Teamstated, “Oralead Pharma’s oral delivery platform demonstrates strong originality and holds significant implications for the clinical application of peptide and macromolecular drugs. We look forward to further experimental data to validate the team’s capabilities, and we anticipate that Oralead and BrightGene will leverage their complementary strengths to better serve patient needs.”

BrightGene Team“We are delighted to participate in Oralead Pharma’s current financing round and to enter into a strategic collaboration with Oralead Pharma focused on oral formulations of peptides and macromolecular drugs. Oral delivery technologies for peptides and macromolecules enable needle-free, painless treatment options. Particularly for patients with chronic conditions or those in a sub-health state, the convenience of administration can significantly improve patient adherence and provide more therapeutic choices. Furthermore, Oralead Pharma’s technology enhances the oral bioavailability of peptides and macromolecules, further reducing drug costs and expanding the overall market potential. We look forward to accelerating pipeline progress through our partnership with Oralead Pharma, developing dosage forms beyond injectables, and bringing benefits to patients at an earlier stage.”