An Atlanta-based biotechnology company called Altesa BioSciences recently announced that it has raised $75 million to further develop a drug that could help people with chronic lung conditions. The drug, called vapendavir, is designed to fight a common virus known as the rhinovirus, which can cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more serious conditions like asthma. Importantly, rhinoviruses can also trigger severe symptom flare-ups in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), a serious lung disease. Altesa aims to prove through clinical trials that vapendavir, which stops the virus from entering cells, can improve health outcomes for COPD patients by preventing these infections and their complications. Last year, the company completed a small study showing that the drug helped improve respiratory symptoms and shortened the illness duration in COPD patients infected with the rhinovirus. They plan to start a larger, placebo-controlled trial in the coming months. ‘By focusing on the true medical need — patients most at risk for hospitalization, death, and long-term decline — we hope to radically improve outcomes and reduce overall healthcare burden,’ said Brett Giroir, Altesa’s CEO. Giroir previously served as an acting FDA commissioner and a COVID-19 testing leader under the first Trump administration. Vapendavir has had a complex history. It was originally developed by Aviragen Therapeutics, which studied it for asthma but reported a failed study in 2017. Aviragen was later acquired by Vaxart, which then licensed vapendavir to Altesa in 2021. Under this agreement, Vaxart could receive up to $130 million and sales royalties if vapendavir succeeds in testing and reaches the market. Giroir noted that a later analysis of the failed asthma study revealed that nearly half of the treatment recipients had low levels of the drug. Altesa has since developed a newer version of the therapy with improved properties, which has shown promising early results and will be tested in the upcoming COPD trial. The $75 million funding round was led by Forbion and included investments from Sanofi, Medicxi, Pitango, and Atlantic Partners. The company previously raised $35 million three years ago. Giroir joined Altesa in 2022 as the company finalized a research agreement with Emory University to develop drugs for viral diseases like dengue fever and Zika. More recently, Altesa hired former GSK Chief Medical Officer Katharine Knobil to oversee the clinical development of vapendavir. In its statement, Altesa mentioned that vapendavir could also be useful for other high-risk respiratory populations, such as people with asthma.