The latest from small and Emerging Pharma companies featuring Esperion, Madrigal, Arrowhead, CellCentric, Windward Bio, and Tris Pharma. 

For news on the large and mid-sized bio/pharmaceutical companies, see Global Briefs. 

* Archimed To Acquire Esperion for $1.1 Bn 
* Madrigal, Arrowhead In $1-Bn RNAi MASH Drug Pact  
* CellCentric Raises $220 M for Multiple Myeloma Drug 
* Windward Bio Raises $165 M for Immunology Drugs 
* Tris Pharma Names Chief Science and Development Officer 

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Archimed To Acquire Esperion for $1.1 Bn 
Archimed, a private equity firm, has agreed to acquire Esperion Therapeutics, an Ann Arbor, Michigan-based commercial-stage bio/pharmaceutical company focused on cardiometabolic and rare/orphan disease therapies, for $1.1 billion. 

Under the agreement, Esperion shareholders will receive $3.16 per share in cash at closing, plus the right to participate in contingent milestone payments of up to $100 million in the aggregate tied to future net sales performance. 

Source: Esperion Therapeutics 

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Madrigal, Arrowhead In $1-Bn RNAi MASH Drug Pact 
Madrigal Pharmaceuticals, a West Conshohocken, Pennsylvania-based bio/pharmaceutical company, and Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals, a Pasadena, California-based commercial-stage pharmaceutical company focused on RNA medicines, have entered an agreement for ARO-PNPLA3, Arrowhead’s clinical-stage metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) treatment in Phase I development, in a deal worth up to $1 billion ($25 million upfront and $975 million in milestone payments).  

Upon closing, Madrigal will make a $25-million upfront payment to Arrowhead. Arrowhead is also eligible to receive development, regulatory, and sales milestone payments of up to $975 million. Arrowhead is further eligible to receive tiered royalties on commercial sales ranging from high-single digits to the mid-teens. 

Source: Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals 

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CellCentric Raises $220 M for Multiple Myeloma Drug 
CellCentric, a Cambridge, UK-based clinical-stage bio/pharmaceutical company developing inobrodib, for treating multiple myeloma, has announced the completion of an oversubscribed $220 million Series D financing for the advancement of inobrodib into Phase III trials.  

Proceeds will support the advancement of inobrodib through clinical development studies, including continued enrollment of the company’s recently initiated Phase II study in the UK and US and initiation of a global Phase III trial in the second half of 2026. Capital raised will also fund expansion of inobrodib into additional combination and maintenance treatment settings. 

The financing was led by specialist investor Venrock Healthcare Capital Partners, with participation from a syndicate of new and existing investors. 

Source: CellCentric 

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Windward Bio Raises $165 M for Immunology Drugs 
Windward Bio, a Basel, Switzerland-based private, clinical-stage bio/pharmaceutical company focused on immunological diseases, has announced an upsized $165-million crossover financing for the company’s drug pipeline, which contains WIN378, an immunology drug in Phase II/III trials, and WIN027, a drug in a Phase I study. Proceeds will support lead candidate WIN378 into Phase III trials, and WIN027 into respiratory and dermatology studies by the fourth quarter of 2026. 

The financing was led by OrbiMed, with participation from existing Series A investors including Novo Holdings, Blue Owl Healthcare Opportunities, SR One, Omega Funds, RTW Investments, Qiming Venture Partners, Quan Capital, and Pivotal bioVenture Partners. The financing also included new investors RA Capital Management, Janus Henderson Investors, Sanofi Ventures, and Harbour BioMed. 

Source: Windward Bio 

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Tris Pharma Names Chief Science and Development Officer 
Tris Pharma, a Monmouth Junction, New Jersey-based commercial-stage bio/pharmaceutical company, has appointed Jim Potenziano, Ph.D, currently Chief Operating Officer at Proteris, to the position of Chief Science and Development Officer.  

Tris Phama is advancing a portfolio of medicines for treating attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, pain, and disorders of the central nervous system into advanced, targeted drug delivery. 

Source: Tris Pharma