Kira Pharmaceuticals, a US-headquartered inflammatory, autoimmune disease and cancer drug developer backed by pharmaceutical firm Sinopharm, has raised $53.5m for the first close of its series B-plus round.
The round was co-led by investment manager RA Capital Management and healthcare investment firm Vivo Capital and also featured Foresite Capital, APlus Partners, Quan Capital and Qiming Venture Partners USA.
Founded in 2017, Kira focuses on the development of therapies for cancer, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases that will target the complement system, a part of the immune system responsible for activating immune or inflammatory responses against pathogens.
The company emerged from stealth in November 2020 with $46m of series A and B funding from investors including Sinopharm subsidiary Sinopharm Capital and 6 Dimensions Capital, an investment firm co-founded by pharmaceutical company WuXi AppTec.
Kira’s other early investors included Quan Capital and Qiming Venture Partners. It intends to bring three product candidates into clinical testing by mid-2022.