Aiolos launches with $245m Series A to advance asthma therapies 

Aiolos bio has announced its launch as a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with a focus on respiratory and inflammatory diseases. The company will lead with the development of AIO-001, a novel Phase II TSLP antibody to treat asthma. 

The $245m Series A round was co-led by Atlas Venture, Bain Capital Life Sciences, Forbion, and Sofinnova Investments and RA Capital Management.  

The monoclonal antibody AOI-001 blocks TSLP, a cytokine that plays an important role in driving inflammation in conditions like asthma. The only approved anti-TSLP drug is Amgen and AstraZeneca’s Tezspire (tezepelumab), which gained FDA approval in December 2021 to treat severe asthma. Tezspire generated $135m in sales in H1 2023, according to Astrazeneca’s H1 and Q2 2023 results announcement. 

In contrast to Tezspire, which has to be injected once a month, AOI-001 can be dosed twice yearly, potentially giving Aiolos an advantage. 

Accompanying the launch announcement was news that co-founder Khurem Farooq has been appointed Chief Executive Officer, having previously served as Chief Executive Officer of Gyroscope Therapeutics and Senior Vice President of Genentech, a member of the Roche group. 

Aiolos acquired rights for the global development and commercialisation of AIO-001 from Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals in August, with Jiangsu retaining the rights in China. Aiolos, called One Bio at the time, paid Jiangsu $21.5m in an upfront payment for the drug candidate, but Jiangsu could be entitled to over $1bn if the drug gains approval in the US, Japan and selected European countries.  

Farooq spoke of plans for Aiolos: “From operating large-scale clinical trials in asthma, to overseeing more than 30 FDA approvals, to leading successful product launches in immune conditions like asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, and IPF.” 

Sign up for our daily news round-up!

Give your business an edge with our leading industry insights.