Promising biotech company receives three-digit million investment to develop groundbreaking obesity treatment
Ousia Pharma receives a significant investment that will bring the company's obesity treatment to the end of Phase 1 clinical trials.
Danish biotech company Ousia Pharma has secured a three-digit million investment from Boston-based venture fund Omega Funds in a recently closed funding round.
The capital injection will drive the development of the company's lead obesity candidate to the end of Phase 1 trials. The company's drug candidate is designed to address obesity through a so-called triple mechanism of action, potentially offering an alternative and more effective weight loss treatment than existing therapies.
"This investment is a strong recognition of our scientific foundation and the potential our drug candidate represents. With Omega Funds as a partner, we receive capital, strategic sparring, and global experience, which will be crucial in our further development. We are now well positioned to bring our preclinical concept to clinical testing," says Anders Bue Klein, CEO of Ousia Pharma.
Ousia Pharma was spun out of the Novo Nordisk Foundation Metabolism Center (CBMR) at the University of Copenhagen and has since received DKK 14 million in financial support from the BioInnovation Institute (BII). The three founders of Ousia Pharma—Anders Bue Klein, Jonas Petersen, and Christoffer Clemmensen—have, through their research, come up with an innovative solution to improve the current treatment of metabolic diseases.
"We have been researching new biological mechanisms behind weight regulation for several years, and seeing our work form the basis for a potential future treatment is incredibly satisfying. At the same time, this investment marks an important milestone – not only for Ousia Pharma but also for the translational obesity research that originates from our research center (CBMR) and the University of Copenhagen," says Christoffer Clemmensen, associate professor at the University of Copenhagen and research leader of the group behind Ousia Pharma.
A victory for the Danish innovation ecosystem
BII saw great potential in the team and research behind Ousia Pharma early on. The recent investment is a great success story for BII and the entire Danish innovation ecosystem.
"It is rare that a foreign fund invests so much money in a Danish biotech company at such an early stage. The investment is, therefore, a clear testament to a well-functioning innovation ecosystem that creates several fantastic companies such as Ousia. Ousia has a really strong case, and at BII, we are proud to play a crucial role in connecting promising Danish startups with international investors," says Jens Nielsen, CEO of BII.
