FELIQS has concluded a $9m Series A funding round, a significant step towards advancing the FLQ-101 clinical programme for preventing retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), a potentially blinding disease that affects premature infants.
The investment round was co-led by an American pharmaceutical company and Beyond Next Ventures, with further contributions from the Japan Science and Technology Agency and existing investors Keio Innovation Initiative, Mitsubishi UFJ Capital and FFG Venture Business Partners.
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WBB Securities served as the placement agent for the round while Latham & Watkins offered legal counsel to FELIQS during this transaction.
The capital injection will help the company expedite the clinical development of FLQ-101, which is available as a once-daily oral or intravenous solution.
The therapy is designed to promote physiological retinal vascularisation while protecting against abnormal neovascularisation and inflammation.
The upcoming Phase Ib/II TROPHY-1 trial, set to begin this year in the US, will evaluate FLQ-101.
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By GlobalDataFELIQS co-founder and CEO Dr Ken-ichiro (Nobu) Kuninobu said: “This investment provides critical momentum as we advance our first-in-human clinical study and build a robust pipeline of targeted treatments for paediatric patients who have long been underserved.”
In 2024, the US Food and Drug Administration acknowledged FLQ-101’s potential to meet a crucial need in neonatal care by granting it both fast-track and orphan drug designations.
With the new funding, FELIQS plans to expand its clinical and operational development teams, expedite the achievement of key milestones in the US clinical programme, and enhance collaborative research efforts in the country.
FELIQS addresses unmet ophthalmology medical needs by leveraging a drug discovery platform that is focused on oxidised lipids.
