AnaCardio raises 150 million SEK in series A round co-led by Industrifonden
Today we are happy to announce our investment in AnaCardio and are excited to support their important mission of developing a drug that has the potential to dramatically improve the lives of people suffering from heart failure. The 150 millon SEK Series A round is co-led by Industrifonden and Flerie Invest AB (Flerie). The raised funds will be used to conduct the planned phase 1b/2a clinical trial and pave the way for future development of AnaCardio´s lead asset AC01.
Fredrik Lehmann, Venture Partner at Industrifonden, said: ”We are excited to back the AnaCardio team in developing a treatment with potential to become a breakthrough in heart failure therapy.”
Patrik Strömberg, CEO, AnaCardio, commented: “We are pleased to welcome a new group of leading investors as AnaCardio shareholders, and to take part in shaping the future of the company. After closing this financing round we will be able to fully commit to investigate our promising novel treatment concept in HFrEF patients.”
Founded based on ground-breaking research encompassing pre-clinical and clinical discovery of a novel mode of action in the cardiovascular and heart failure setting by Professor Lars Lund, Professor of Cardiology at the Karolinska Institutet and Karolinska University Hospital, AnaCardio licensed the small molecule AC01 from Helsinn Group earlier this year. A proof-of-concept phase 1b/2a clinical trial with AC01 in patients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) is now under final preparation and is expected to be initiated at selected sites in Europe during the second half of 2022.
Lars Lund, Founder and Chairman of AnaCardio, said: “Despite significant advances over the last decades, heart failure patients still suffer from poor quality of life, and high risk of hospitalization and death. With our new investors onboard, and funds to progress the AC01 program in HFrEF, we reach an important milestone in our journey to bring new treatment options to this underserved patient group.”
3B Future Health Fund (3BFHF) joined Industridonden and Flerie to complete the round together with the founding investor Karolinska Development AB and current investors Fredrik and Ann-Helene Ljungström. In connection with the Series A investment, Mark Quick, Partner at Flerie Invest, Fredrik Lehmann PhD, Venture Partner at Industrifonden, and Karin Hehenberger, MD, PhD, Scientific advisor to 3BFHF and Founder and CEO of Lyfebulb, will join AnaCardio´s Board of Directors.