News & Events

Closing of our Series B investment

Cerium Closes $12 million Series B financing

  • Proceeds to advance Cerium’s synthetic ACTH development program into Phase 3
  • Financing led by Alexandria Biotech, LLC
  • Appoints Dr. Robert J. Rubin to the Board of Directors

 

November 9th, 2021, Gaithersburg, MD. – Cerium Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical stage biopharmaceuticals company focused on developing medicines for rare and orphan diseases, today announced that it has closed a $12 million Series B financing.  The financing was led by Alexandria Biotech, LLC of Alexandria, VA, and included several private, high net worth investors.

The Series B round brings Cerium’s total funding to $19 million since the Company embarked on it’s current ACTH development program.  With the current funding, Cerium is well positioned to bring it’s synthetic adrenocorticotropic hormone (SNP-ACTH[1-39] Gel) into a pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial demonstrating superiority to Rituxan in first line therapy for the treatment of patients with primary membranous nephropathy (PMN).  Membranous nephropathy (MN) is a frequent cause of nephrotic syndrome (NS) in nondiabetic adults.  Eighty percent of MN is classified as PMN (also referred as idiopathic membranous nephropathy), a kidney-specific autoimmune glomerular disease, more specifically referred to as a podocytopathy; 20% of MN is classified as secondary, due to a variety of other illnesses.

Based on Cerium’s recently completed meeting with the Cardio/Renal division of the FDA, Cerium expects to dose the first patient in the Phase 3 trial in Q2 2022.

In addition to strengthening its cash position with the Series B financing, Cerium has also strengthened its Board of Directors with the appointment of Dr. Robert J. Rubin, MD.  Dr. Rubin is Cerium’s Acting Chief Medical Officer.  He is a Distinguished Professor of Medicine at Georgetown University, a nephrologist, and an independent healthcare consultant. Dr. Rubin’s research interests include regenerative medicine, tissue engineering and dialysis.  He has undertaken a lifelong interest in disease management, public health policy, epidemiology and health economics and patient quality of life assessment.  Dr. Rubin is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Soligenix, Inc.

Contact

Nancy Klett, Vice President, Project Management

(301) 963-2400

nancy.klett@cerium.com