Human beings do a lot of things really well, and yet their best ability, by far, is how they manage to grow in such a consistent manner. This particular ability has allowed us to hit upon some huge milestones, with technology proving to be a major member of the stated group. The reason why technology enjoys such a high stature in our lives is inspired by its unique skill-set, which introduced us to all those possibilities that we could have never imagined in an alternate reality. However, while that is certainly factual, the whole runner has also remained predicated upon the way we used these skills in a real-world setting. The latter component was, in fact, what gave the creation a spectrum-wide presence, including a very well-timed appearance on our healthcare block. Technology’s foray into healthcare was perfectly-timed, as it came right when the sector was beginning to struggle against its own obsolete structure. This reality, of course, went through a massive overhaul under the new regime, but even after achieving such a significant feat, the medtech concept will just continue producing all the right goods. The same has only turned more and more evident over the recent past, and a new piece of funding can very well get it to take another step forward.
Rivus Pharmaceuticals Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to improving cardio-metabolic health, has successfully secured over $132 million in Series B financing. Led by RA Capital Management, the round saw further participation coming from the likes of Bain Capital Life Sciences, BB Biotech AG, Longitude Capital, Medicxi, and RxCapital. According to certain reports, the company will use the newly-raised cash to support the clinical advancement of its lead candidate HU6. HU6 is basically a first-in-class Controlled Metabolic Accelerator (CMA) designed to treat cardio-metabolic diseases by addressing obesity, the primary driver of such diseases. As for the drug’s status, it is currently going through a Phase 2a study, which focuses on gauging its impact in relation to heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. This, notably enough, follows up on a successful Phase 1 dose-ascending study that showed an increase in energy expenditure as well as dose-dependent weight loss with no apparent safety signals. The last bit is important. You see, Rivus’ take on body fat reduction looks to harness the potential of mitochondrial uncoupling, a natural metabolic process in which the body dissipates energy, and while the methodology has been around for more than a century, it has shown a clear knack of causing serious side effects. Rivus, on its part, seems to have solved the conundrum by zeroing in upon a dose level which is safe yet effective.
When asked about Rivus’ approach, Derek DiRocco, partner at RA Capital, responded in the following way:
“RA Capital is excited to lead this round to provide patients a differentiated approach to more effectively treat obesity and cardio-metabolic disease,” he said. “While there have been several recent clinical successes in the treatment of obesity, CMAs stand alone in their ability to demonstrate significant fat reduction while sparing muscle mass, a very desirable profile especially in patients with diabetic myopathy and sarcopenia.”
Beyond the stated application, Rivus is planning to use its technique for treating Type 2 diabetes and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis as well.
