NewAmsterdam Pharma completes $196m Series A funding for phase 3 development programme

The financing will support the full Phase 3 development of its ApoB and LDL-c lowering small molecule drug, obicetrapib. The drug, a cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) inhibitor, is being developed for patients who are not well-controlled on statins.

Forbion, NAP’s founding investor, was joined by Morningside Ventures and Ascendant BioCapital as co-lead investors in the Series A financing. Also participating in this funding round were Kaiser Foundation Hospitals, BVF Partners L.P., Population Health Partners, LSP Dementia Fund, Peter Thiel, Janus Henderson Investors, Medpace, GL Capital, JVC Investment Partners, and Presight Capital.

“This is an important milestone in the advancement of obicetrapib and the growth of NewAmsterdam Pharma,” said Michael Davidson, MD, chief executive officer of NewAmsterdam Pharma. “The tremendous support of our investors allows us to initiate a large, Phase 3 development program as we work to create a new option for the millions of high cardiovascular risks patients globally who, despite maximally tolerated statin therapy, require additional LDL-c lowering options.”

“Effectively inhibiting CETP to reduce atherosclerotic risk in patients is something Dr. Davidson and I have been endeavoring to achieve in our field of research for more than two decades,” said John Kastelein, MD, PhD, FESC, chief scientific officer of NewAmsterdam Pharma. “Long term follow up from the 2017 REVEAL study validated CETP as a target to lower LDL-c and reduce major adverse cardiac events (MACE).¹ We believe that in obicetrapib, based on clinical studies to date, we have a molecule which is well tolerated and has not shown any of the safety issues of previous CETP inhibitors. Furthermore, based on the surrogate endpoints of the REVEAL study, obicetrapib was shown to be more effective at lowering LDL-c at a 5 mg dose in comparison to a 100 mg dose of anacetrapib.”

“We are very pleased to support the development of obicetrapib and contribute to the success of NAP,” said Jason Dinges of Morningside. “We believe that obicetrapib has a unique efficacy and safety profile that will further demonstrate not only a potent LDL-c lowering ability but other key attributes which could potentially benefit the large and underserved number of patients at risk of cardiovascular disease. We have confidence in the deep expertise and proven track record of Dr. Davidson and Dr. Kastelein to deliver these results.”

“Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of disability-adjusted life years globally, and tens of millions of patients struggle to reach LDL-c goals on current therapies, demonstrating a clear need for novel agents,” said Gaurav Gupta, MD of Ascendant BioCapital. “CETP-silencing mutations correspond to lower cardiovascular risk, and given the potent pharmacology demonstrated in the TULIP study², we expect obicetrapib to become a significant part of the treatment paradigm for dyslipidemia globally.”

Two Phase 2b clinical trials for obicetrapib are underway with targeted completion in Q2 2021. NAP is looking to initiate Phase 3 clinical trials in Q4 2021.

Source: Company Press Release