Expanding Clinical Development with New Funding
Artios Pharma has secured $115 million in an oversubscribed series D financing round to expand the development of its DNA damage response (DDR), targeting oncology programs. The company plans to apply the funds toward broadening clinical activities for its lead candidate, alnodesertib, and progressing its second program, ART6043, into phase 2 testing.
The new investment will support additional enrollment for alnodesertib across second-line pancreatic cancer and third-line colorectal cancer cohorts. The candidate is being evaluated in several clinical settings and has shown durable responses in patients with eight solid tumor types marked by ATM deficiency. Artios noted that these patients currently lack treatment options specifically authorized for their condition.
Promising Trial Results for Alnodesertib
Earlier in the year, the company reported that alnodesertib, when administered with low-dose irinotecan, produced a confirmed overall response rate of 50% in patients with ATM-negative solid tumors. These findings originated from the Stella phase 1/2 trial. In the subgroup with low ATM expression, the combination yielded a 22% response rate. The new financing will allow Artios to enroll additional ATM-negative patients in both cancer cohorts under evaluation.
Advancing the ART6043 Program
Artios also intends to use part of the series D proceeds to advance ART6043 into phase 2 development. The compound is a DNA polymerase theta inhibitor described by the company as the most advanced clinical Polθ program currently in development. The candidate is being positioned for patients with BRCA-mutant, HER2-negative breast cancer who qualify for treatment with a PARP inhibitor.
Early results presented at the annual European Society for Medical Oncology congress in September supported once-daily dosing and suggested the agent may be compatible with combination approaches. Safety observations indicated a tolerability profile that the company described as benign.
Details of the Series D Financing
The fundraising round was co-led by founding investor SV Health Investors and new investor RA Capital Management. Janus Henderson Investors also joined, with Artios reporting broad participation from its existing investor base. CEO Mike Andriole stated, “This Series D accelerates our potential path to registration for both alnodesertib and ART6043, broadening development for the next generation of DNA damage response (DDR) therapeutics to indications among the highest of unmet need across pancreatic, colorectal, and breast cancers, where median survival is often measured in months.”
Leadership and Commercial Readiness
SV Health Investors’ Managing Partner Nikola Trbovic said the financing, along with the recent leadership transition, marks a significant stage in the company’s development as it aligns itself toward commercial readiness.
Andriole assumed the CEO role in August, succeeding founding CEO Niall Martin, Ph.D., who established Artios nearly a decade ago after raising a $33.2 million series A in 2016. Martin had been recognized for contributions to the identification of AstraZeneca’s PARP inhibitor Lynparza.
Broader Pipeline and Company Vision
Artios’ broader pipeline includes a DDR inhibitor antibody-drug conjugate discovery initiative based on the rationale that tumor cells rely on DDR pathways to repair DNA damage, making them vulnerable to targeted inhibition.
The company last raised funds in 2021, collecting $153 million in a series C round that followed earlier collaborations with Merck KGaA and Novartis.
