Viela Bio Secures $75 Million in Series B Financing to Advance Inebilizumab for Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder

VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) learned from foreign media that on June 17, U.S. local time, biotechnology company Viela Bio completed a $75 million Series B financing round. The funds from this round will be used to support the company’s development of therapeutics for myelitis.

It is reported that this round of financing was led by HBM Healthcare Investments, with participation from Viking Global Investors, Cormorant Asset Management, Goldman Sachs, and others.

Viela Bio, headquartered in Maryland, USA, is a clinical-stage biotechnology company dedicated to developing novel therapies for inflammatory and immune-mediated diseases.

Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder (NMOSD) is a group of autoimmune disorders of the central nervous system, characterized primarily by recurrent episodes of optic neuritis and longitudinally extensive transverse myelitis. The discovery of aquaporin-4 (AQP4) antibodies in 2004 distinguished NMOSD from multiple sclerosis, establishing it as an independent disease entity. In China, AQP4 antibodies can be detected in the serum and cerebrospinal fluid of approximately 70% of patients with NMOSD.

The pathogenesis of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) is complex, with loss of immune tolerance to aquaporin-4 (AQP4) considered the central mechanism in disease development. Therefore, restoring immune homeostasis, inhibiting AQP4 antibody production, and blocking downstream immune responses have become important strategies for treating and preventing disease relapse. Although new immunotherapeutic agents or regimens continue to emerge, some demonstrating significant short-term efficacy and holding promise for curing the disease, many issues regarding their mid-to-long-term efficacy, treatment duration, adverse effects, and the long-term effectiveness and safety of sustained therapy remain to be further investigated and determined.

Inebilizumab, a drug currently under development by Viela Bio, holds promise for the treatment of neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD). Inebilizumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody with high affinity that binds to CD19, a protein expressed on B cells, plasmablasts, and plasma cells in the human body. Upon binding to CD19, Inebilizumab induces rapid depletion of these cells, thereby halting the production of pathogenic proteins and facilitating patient recovery. Currently, Inebilizumab remains in the clinical trial stage and has not yet received marketing approval in the United States or China.

Dr. Bing Yao, CEO of Viela Bio, stated, “We are deeply grateful to the new round of investors for their support. We will utilize this funding to further advance our company’s programs. NMOSD is a severe and potentially life-threatening autoimmune disease, and we are committed to providing patients with advanced therapeutic options to help them achieve recovery as soon as possible.”

HBM Healthcare Investments is a Swiss-headquartered venture capital firm dedicated to investing in unlisted emerging companies. It has a diverse shareholder base and is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange. To date, the firm has completed 121 investments.

Viking Global Investors, founded in 1999 and headquartered in Connecticut, USA, is a private equity firm that has completed 44 investments to date and manages over $20 billion in capital through long/short equity and long-only strategies.

Cormorant Asset Management, headquartered in Massachusetts, USA, is a hedge fund focused on investing in companies within the financial services, asset management, and healthcare sectors, having completed 72 investments to date.

Goldman Sachs, founded in 1869 and headquartered in New York, USA, is a venture capital firm providing securities, investment banking, and management services. It focuses on investing in the early and late stages of corporate development and has completed 215 investments to date.

(Compiled by Liu Yujing)