Omeicos Therapeutics reported raising €8.3 million (approximately $8.75 million) in the first close of a Series B financing and confirmed the start of a Phase I study with lead epoxyeicosanoid analog OMT-28, which is in development for treating atrial fibrillation. The investment round was led by Vesalius Biocapital II, SICAR, and SMS Company Group. Other previous Omeicos investors also participated.
“We are grateful for the ongoing support of our investors and anticipate this financing to fully fund the company throughout the duration of the Phase I clinical study, which will set the stage for a swift transition into a subsequent Phase II trial,” stated Dr. Robert Fischer, CSO and co-founder of Omeicos.
Omeicos is a spinout from the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in Berlin. The firm is developing synthetic analogs of omega-3 fatty acid-derived epoxyeicosanoids for the potential treatment of inflammatory, cardiovascular, and other diseases. OMT-28 is an analog of the omega-3 fatty acid metabolite 17,18-EEQ, which Omeicos claims has demonstrated antiarrhythmic and cardioprotective potential in preclinical in vivo models.
The firm states that while all current antiarrhythmic drugs act primarily by the direct inhibition of ion channels, the Omeicos candidates activate an endogenous cardioprotective signaling pathway that both stabilizes heart rhythm and can prevent electrical and structural remodeling.
The firm won a €1.7 million (approximately $1.8 million) grant from the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) in November 2015 to support OMT-28 development. In April of the same year, Omeicos raised €6.2 million (roughly $6.5 million) in its Series A financing.