Intercept Pharmaceuticals, a US-based liver drugs maker based on work at Italy’s University of Perugia, has raised $30m in its series C round.
Venture capital firm OrbiMed Advisors led the C round, with Intercept’s majority investor, Genextra, also participating. Genextra was created in 2004 by a group of Italian entrepreneurs and financial institutions in partnership with leading scientists from the European Institute of Oncology (IEO) and has €96m in funds.
Founded by Dr. Mark Pruzanski in 2002, Intercept had previously raised about $45m from private investors, including Italy-based Genextra, US-based venture capital firm Visium and Jafco Life Science Investment, which raised about a quarter of its latest near Y240bn ($3bn) fund from corporations.
Intercept plans to use part of the money to fuel its phase III study in which its oral obeticholic acid (OCA) drug is under investigation as a second-line therapy for primary biliary cirrhosis, a rare condition that afflicts mostly women and can lead to liver failure.
Intercept has licensed its lead drug to Japan-based Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma in a $315m deal and also struck a $163m deal with France’s Servier.