Triveni to test eczema drug in clinic with new $115M funding

Triveni Bio, an emerging player in the field of immunology and inflammation treatments, announced a significant financial milestone this Wednesday with a $100 million-plus Series B funding round. This follows closely on the heels of its nearly $92 million Series A round, just under a year ago. The recent funding was spearheaded by Goldman Sachs and saw participation from Fidelity, Deep Track Capital, as well as previous investors including Atlas Venture and OrbiMed.

The company intends to utilize the new funds to advance its leading investigational antibody drug for eczema, designated TRIV-509. Triveni Bio has plans to request approval from the FDA to commence clinical trials for this drug in the first quarter of 2025. These initial trials will involve healthy volunteers, as explained by Bhaskar Srivastava, the Chief Medical Officer of Triveni Bio. The focus of TRIV-509 is to treat atopic dermatitis, commonly known as eczema.

Dr. Srivastava recently joined Triveni Bio in June, transitioning from his role as Senior Vice President of clinical development at Nimbus Therapeutics. His expertise is expected to be instrumental in pushing forward the company's clinical agenda.

TRIV-509 is designed to target kallikreins 5 and 7, enzymes that play a critical role in what is known as barrier dysfunction. This condition is characterized by the skin's inability to act as an effective barrier against allergens and irritants, a common issue in individuals with atopic dermatitis. Triveni Bio's Chief Executive Officer, Vishal Patel, emphasized that barrier dysfunction is a hallmark feature of eczema and is closely linked to the inflammatory processes in the disease. Patel highlighted that targeting the barrier dysfunction aspect is relatively novel and has not been extensively addressed in previous treatments for atopic dermatitis.

In addition to TRIV-509, Triveni Bio is also developing a subsequent compound called TRIV-573. This follow-on treatment combines the inhibition of kallikreins 5 and 7 with the targeting of IL-13, an established cytokine involved in the inflammation process and one of the targets of the well-known drug Dupixent. Furthermore, Triveni’s pipeline includes an antibody treatment aimed at hereditary pancreatitis.

The recent fundraising success underscores the growing interest and investment in immunology and inflammation-focused companies this year. Triveni Bio's robust pipeline and its novel approach to treating atopic dermatitis by targeting both inflammation and barrier dysfunction highlight its potential in addressing unmet medical needs in dermatology and beyond. As the company gears up for its upcoming clinical trials, the medical community will be closely monitoring its progress and the potential impact of its innovative treatments.