The funds will be used to advance the late-stage clinical development of the company’s leading candidate, inhaled AERO-007. This nebulised LABA/LAMA combination is being developed as a potential first-line maintenance therapy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Phase IIa clinical trial data of the candidate indicated that the treatment was well tolerated by subjects with moderate to severe COPD.
Furthermore, it delivered sustained, rapid-onset, and clinically significant bronchodilation for up to 24 hours.
AeroRx Therapeutics co-founder and CEO Ahmet Tutuncu said: “With this Series A financing, we are well positioned to advance AERO-007 into a Phase IIb dose-optimisation study and prepare for late-stage, NDA-enabling development.
“Our Phase IIa study data further support AERO-007’s potential as a once-daily nebulised LABA/LAMA combination, designed to address an unmet need for underserved COPD patients.”
Avalon BioVentures managing partner Jay Lichter said: “Dual bronchodilation via handheld inhalers is the standard of care, but millions of patients remain poorly controlled due to difficulties with inhaler technique.
“AeroRx has the opportunity to deliver clinical benefit by bringing the preferred guideline therapy to patients in a nebulised form that is designed for full dosing and improved adherence.”
The Phase IIa clinical study was a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, single-dose, three-period crossover. It included 16 individuals with moderate to severe COPD.
According to AeroRx, both the low- and high-dose treatments of AERO-007 on the patients demonstrated clinically meaningful and statistically significant improvements in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) when compared to the placebo.