Biotech Briefs: Agomab, Corxel Pharmaceuticals & More
The latest from small and Emerging Pharma companies featuring Agomab Therpeutics, Corxel Pharmaceuticals, Insilico Medicine, Hygtia Therapeutics, Kuva Labs, Lisata Therapeutics, and Valneva
For news on the large and mid-sized bio/pharmaceutical companies, see Global Briefs.
* AgomAb Therapeutics Files IPO
* Corxel Pharmaceuticals Raises $287 M in Series D Funding
* Insilico Medicine, Hygtia Therapeutics in CNS Drug Pact
* Kuva Labs To Acquire Lisata Therapeutics
* Valneva Voluntary Withdraws Chikungunya Vaccine
AgomAb Therapeutics Files IPO
Agomab Therapeutics, an Antwerp, Belgium-based clinical-stage bio/pharmaceutical company, developing disease-modifying therapies for immunology and inflammatory diseases, has filed an initial public offering in the US to list its shares on Nasdaq. Its lead product candidate, ontunisertib, is an oral, gastrointestinal-restricted small-molecule inhibitor of ALK5, or TGFβR1, in development for the treatment of fibrostenosing Crohn’s disease, a severe complication of Crohn’s disease.
Source: Agomab Therapeutics
Corxel Pharmaceuticals Raises $287 M Series D Funding
Corxel Pharmaceuticals, a Berkeley Heights, New Jersey-based clinical-stage bio/pharmaceutical company, has completed its Series D1 financing, raising up to $287 million in capital. Proceeds from the round are expected to support the advancement of CX11, an oral small-molecule glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist for obese and overweight patients currently being evaluated in a Phase II trial conducted by Corxel in the US and a Phase III trial conducted by Vincentage in China, and other cardiometabolic programs, including for acute ischemic stroke and hypertension. The financing included participation from new investors, including SR One, TCGX, RA Capital Management, HBM Healthcare Investments, SymBiosis, Adage Capital Management, Invus, SilverArc Capital, and certain other investors. Existing investors, RTW Investments and Hengdian Group Capital also participated.
Source: Corxel Pharmaceuticals
Insilico Medicine, Hygtia Therapeutics in CNS Drug Pact
Insilico Medicine, a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based clinical-stage bio/pharmaceutical company, and Hygtia Therapeutics, a Holden, Massachusetts-based incubator company of the Shenzhen Pengfu Fund of Fosun Health Capital and Fosun Pharma, have entered a co-development collaboration agreement for Insilico’s ISM8969 program, an oral brain-penetrant NLRP3 inhibitor for central nervous system disorders, in a deal worth up to $66 million ($10 million upfront and $56 million in milestone payments).
Source: Insilico Medicine
Kuva Labs To Acquire Lisata Therapeutics
Kuva Therapeutics, a privately held bio/pharmaceutical company, has entered into a binding term sheet to acquire Lisata Therapeutics, a Basking Ridge, New Jersey-based clinical-stage bio/pharmaceutical company developing therapies for treating advanced solid tumors and other serious diseases. The companies agreed to negotiate the acquisition of Lisata by Kuva to acquire all outstanding shares of common stock of Lisata at a price of $4.00 per share in cash. Additionally, Lisata stockholders will be entitled to receive two non-tradeable contingent value rights relating to Lisata’s certepetide, an investigational cyclic peptide drug for treating certain cancers. The term sheet and transaction contemplated have been unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors of both companies, and the company expects to enter into a definitive purchase agreement prior to February 27, 2026.
Source: Lisata Therapeutics
Valneva Voluntary Withdraws Chikungunya Vaccine
Valneva, a specialty vaccine company, has decided to voluntarily withdraw the biologics license application and investigational new drug (IND) application for its chikungunya vaccine, Ixchiq, in the US, following suspension of the license by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in August 2025.
The company had been awaiting further information with respect to its formal response to the vaccine license suspension. Valneva was recently informed of FDA’s further decision to now place the IND on clinical hold pending an investigation of a newly reported foreign serious adverse event. There are currently no clinical studies involving Ixchiq that are actively vaccinating participants, and the company intends to move forward with its planned post-marketing clinical activities, subject to further discussions with relevant regulatory authorities.
Source: Valneva
