Changxi Pharmaceuticals Secures RMB 55 Million Series A Funding to Build China's Leading Inhaled Drug Delivery Platform

VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) has learned, January 2, 2018,Changxi Inhalation Drug Delivery PlatformAnnounces Completion of RMB 55 Million Series A Financing, led by Guozhong Venture Capital, with follow-on investments from Kaitai Capital and Delian Capital.

The funds raised in this round will be used for the research and development of new products, team expansion, and preparations for the next stages of clinical trials and industrialization. It is reported that Changxi previously received RMB 10 million in angel investment from Delian Capital in April 2016.

ChangxiEstablished in October 2015,One of the few high-tech companies, both domestically and internationally, to master platform technology for powder aerosol drug delivery systems., featuring world-leading, patented dry powder preparation technology and efficient, user-friendly inhaler design technologies tailored to the powder properties of corresponding formulations, with mature technology and strong industrialization capabilities.

Changxi specializes in the research and development of drug delivery products for the respiratory system. Its main product lines include innovative drugs and generics for the treatment of asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and other conditions, as well as corresponding inhalation delivery devices.

Our current pipeline includes generic drugs for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and improved innovative drugs for asthma. Notably, this innovative drug features clinically superior efficacy and significantly reduced costs, achieved through modifications to the dry powder inhalation formulation process and redesign of the inhaler device, making it better suited for launch in the Chinese market.

Changxi's Inhaled Drug Delivery Device Under Development

Changxi’s core management team graduated from prestigious universities in Europe and the United States and hails from renowned pharmaceutical companies in these regions. The team possesses extensive hands-on experience in overseas scientific research, project management, and process scale-up, as well as profound expertise in domestic new drug development, evaluation, and manufacturing.

Dr. Chen Donghao, Founder and CEO of ChangxiHe holds a master's degree from Zhejiang University and a Ph.D. from ETH Zurich, and previously served as General Manager of the China region for Chemo Group, a European multinational pharmaceutical company.Is the primary inventor of more than 20 patents on inhalation drug delivery, with over 20 years of experience in the research and development and industrialization of inhaled pharmaceuticals.

It is reported that Dr. Chen Donghao, as a founding scientist, co-founded AIR (Advanced Inhalation Research) with renowned MIT professor Robert Langer. The company secured investment from Polaris Partners, a top-tier U.S. venture capital firm, and was acquired by Alkermes, a leading U.S. biopharmaceutical company, within two years of its establishment.

Dr. Lan Chen, Co-Founder, is an internationally recognized expert in inhaled drug delivery technologies, as well as inhaler design, evaluation, and formulation interactions. She possesses extensive experience and industry resources in the fields of inhaler design, mold development and injection molding, optimization, and manufacturing.

Regarding this round of financing, Dr. Chen Donghao stated, “There are approximately 30 million asthma patients in China, with an annual growth rate of 4%. The number of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is nearly 50 million, and the prevalence rate among individuals aged 40 and above reaches as high as 8.2%.”As inhaled formulations, particularly dry powder inhalers, are considered high-end drug products with high technical barriers and involve multidisciplinary and multi-domain engineering challenges rather than traditional pharmaceutical issues alone, the domestic market is currently dominated by a few foreign companies.”

“Having been established for over two years, Changxi is currently in a period of rapid development.Changxi is committed to becoming a leading company in the field of inhaled drug delivery in China., providing safe, effective, and pharmacoeconomically sound medicines to the vast patient population in China, while maximizing investment returns for investors.”

Additionally,Zhao Guobao, Investment Director at Delian CapitalIt further stated: “China’s inhalation market exceeds RMB 10 billion. Due to the combination of drugs and devices in inhalation administration, as well as the unique evaluation methods, there are high barriers to entry, with the vast majority of the market currently dominated by foreign pharmaceutical companies.”

"The Changxi team possesses many years of international experience. Dr. Chen Donghao has a proven track record of success in the field of inhalation drug delivery, while Dr. Chen Lan is an internationally renowned expert in the development of drug delivery devices."We value Changxi’s in-house R&D capabilities for both dry powder inhalation formulations and devices, and we believe that Changxi will become a leading company in the field of inhalation drug delivery.”