Biotechnology company Star Therapeutics has raised $200 million in a private financing round to advance its drug development pipeline and expand research into treatments for diseases with significant unmet medical needs.
The financing was co-led by OrbiMed and Janus Henderson Investors, with participation from Agent Capital, Catalio Capital Management, Cormorant Asset Management, New Leaf Venture Partners, NYBC Ventures, RA Capital Management, Redmile, Sofinnova Investments, Soleus Capital and a leading sovereign wealth fund.
“Our mission is to develop best-in-disease therapies at scale for the millions of patients with diseases of significant unmet need,” said Adam Rosenthal, Ph.D., founder and chief executive officer of Star Therapeutics. “This financing marks the next phase for Star, building on our team’s track record of discovering and developing novel medicines. With an experienced team, a growing pipeline and the support of a top-tier investor base, we are well positioned to advance our current programs into the clinic and continue to add new, highly innovative programs to our pipeline in order to meaningfully improve patient outcomes.”
“I have worked with this team across three different companies, and have seen firsthand their ability to identify important therapeutic opportunities and translate them into medicines with the potential to make an impact for patients,” said Carl L. Gordon, Ph.D., CFA, managing partner at OrbiMed. “We believe Star has the team, scientific approach and pipeline to build on those achievements in its next phase of growth.”
“Star stood out to us because of the strength of its team and its proven ability to invent and develop innovative therapies,” said Vish Sridharan, M.D., assistant portfolio manager and research analyst at Janus Henderson Investors, who is joining as a board observer for Star Therapeutics. “We do not often invest in companies at this stage of development, which reflects our conviction in Star’s ability to repeatedly identify areas of significant unmet need and develop differentiated therapies to address them. We look forward to supporting the team as it advances its growing pipeline into the clinic and continues to develop the next generation of therapies for patients.”
The funding follows the July 2026 acquisition of Star’s subsidiary Vega Therapeutics and will support the development of its existing preclinical drug candidates, help advance programs into clinical trials and fund the addition of new research programs.
Star Therapeutics focuses on discovering and developing antibody-based therapies for serious diseases. The company says its team has helped develop four first-in-class therapies, including Enjaymo, the first approved treatment for cold agglutinin disease, while three other therapies are in Phase 3 development.
In July 2026, pharmaceutical company Incyte completed its acquisition of Vega Therapeutics in a deal valued at up to $2 billion. The transaction included latarcibart (VGA039), an antibody therapy in Phase 3 development for von Willebrand disease, a bleeding disorder.
Star also expanded its presence in the biotechnology sector through Electra Therapeutics, a spinout that became publicly traded on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol ETRA in September 2026.
With the latest financing, Star Therapeutics plans to continue building its pipeline of potential treatments and move promising drug candidates closer to clinical development.
