Hemab Raises $135 Million to Advance First Prophylactic Treatments for Rare Bleeding Disorders

Rare Daily Staff    

Hemab Therapeutics raised $135 million in an oversubscribed $135 million series B financing to advance a pipeline of prophylactic treatments for rare bleeding disorders.

Access Biotechnology led the round, with participation from new investors Deep Track Capital, Avoro Ventures, Invus, Rock Springs Capital, and Maj Invest Equity, as well as all current investors Novo Holdings, RA Capital Management, and HealthCap.

“Hemab is fundamentally reimagining the treatment paradigm for underserved bleeding and thrombotic disorders,” said Benny Sorensen, CEO and president of Hemab. “This financing will allow us to progress our clinical programs for the first prophylactic treatments for Glanzmann Thrombasthenia and von Willebrand Disease, delivering functional cures for patients in need.”

The financing will support Hemab’s scientific and corporate growth plans through 2025, including completion of an ongoing phase 1/2 clinical study of lead candidate HMB-001 in Glanzmann thrombasthenia, initiation of pivotal studies, start and completion of phase 1/2 clinical evaluation for HMB-VWF in von Willebrand disease, and future pipeline evolution in accordance with the company’s Hemab 1-2-5 strategic guidance—targeting development of five clinical assets by 2025 to transform treatment for rare bleeding and thrombotic disorders with high unmet need, including Glanzmann, Factor VII deficiency, Bernard Soulier syndrome, Von Willebrand disease, hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (or Osler-Weber-Rendu disease), and congenital antithrombin III deficiency.

HMB-001 is bispecific antibody that binds and stabilizes endogenous factor VIIa (FVIIa) with one antibody arm and TLT-1 on activated platelets with the other arm. This allows for accumulation of FVIIa in the body, recruitment of FVIIa directly to the surface of the activated platelets where it is known to facilitate clotting, and avoidance of clotting activity in the absence of tissue damage. HMB-001 was designed to be a first-in-class prophylactic treatment for Glanzmann thrombasthenia with potential for other debilitating rare bleeding disorders. It entered phase 1/2 clinical evaluation in late 2022, with initial data expected 2H 2023.

Glanzmann thrombasthenia is a rare inherited blood disorder characterized by the impaired function of platelets that are essential for proper blood clotting. Symptoms usually include abnormal bleeding, which may be severe and untreated or unsuccessfully treated hemorrhaging with the disorder may be life threatening.

Photo: Benny Sorensen, CEO and president of Hemab