Sanofi has backed the $75 million series B of a rhinovirus-focused biotech with a former FDA acting commissioner at the helm.
Altesa BioSciences unveiled back in 2022 with $4 million in seed funding and a mission to build upon the work of the Emory University scientists behind Merck & Co.’s COVID-19 antiviral molnupiravir and a billion-dollar HIV treatment.
At the time, CEO Brett Giroir, M.D., a former FDA acting commissioner and admiral, told Fierce that the aim was to be “small, nimble, sort of a special operations-like that we can take molecules, get them into the best indication and prove them or make them fail early so that we can get them to patients.”
French Big Pharma Sanofi has since been convinced, hopping on board for today’s oversubscribed $75 million series B round that was led by Forbion and saw previous investors like Medicxi, Pitango and Atlantic Partners return.
“We are honored to have Forbion as our lead investor, a global leader with an unmatched track record for developing companies and products across multiple therapeutic areas,” Giroir said in a Feb. 19 release. “In addition, Altesa will benefit greatly from the participation of Sanofi, given its ongoing expertise in COPD therapeutics.”
“By focusing on the true medical need—patients most at risk for hospitalization, death, and long-term decline—we hope to radically improve outcomes and reduce overall healthcare burden,” the CEO added.
Top of the list of priorities for the cash will be a phase 2b study of vapendavir, a once-failed Aviragen drug for the common cold. Altesa in-licensed the broad-spectrum antiviral, which missed the primary endpoint in a phase 2b trial in asthmatic patients with rhinovirus in 2017, to develop it in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Altesa’s plan for the phase 2b study is to enroll 900 COPD patients in the U.S. and U.K., who will then be randomized when they experience rhinovirus infection. Rhinovirus is the most common cause of respiratory exacerbations in patients with COPD and other chronic lung diseases.
The trial, which is expected to kick off in the second quarter, will be overseen by Altesa Chief Medical Officer Katharine Knobil, M.D., who joined the company in May 2025 and whose previous roles include holding the position at GSK.
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The latest study will build on a trial last year of 40 patients with COPD where Altesa was able to point to improved upper and lower airway symptoms as well as reduced illness durations and inflammatory markers. At that point, Altesa was touting vapendavir, which is taken orally as a pill, as the only direct-acting antiviral medicine targeting rhinovirus currently in human clinical trials.
“Our trial’s objective is to demonstrate that treatment of rhinovirus respiratory infections can improve symptoms, hasten resolution of illness, and maintain quality of life, while potentially avoiding advanced medical interventions,” Knobil said in this morning’s release.
“For many COPD patients, even a simple cold can lead to an exacerbation, hospitalization, and worsening quality of life—vapendavir has the potential to change that trajectory,” Knobil added.
Beyond COPD, Altesa hopes to apply vapendavir to other high-risk respiratory populations, such as patients with asthma.
