Novira Therapeutics Inc. today announced it has secured $23 million in Series A financing to support the development of its capsid-targeting antivirals for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B (HBV) and HIV infections.
The financing was co-led by new investors 5AM Ventures and Canaan Partners and joined by WuXi PharmaTech as well as existing investors BioAdvance, Mid-Atlantic Angel Group, Robin Hood Ventures and Delaware Crossing Investment Group (DCIG).
In conjunction with the financing, Scott M. Rocklage, Ph.D., a managing partner with 5AM Ventures, has been appointed chairman of Novira's board of directors. In addition, Tim Shannon, M.D., venture partner at Canaan Partners, has joined the board, which is comprised of four highly-accomplished life science executives. The other board members are Anthony W. Ford-Hutchinson, Ph.D., independent consultant to the pharmaceutical industry, and Osvaldo Flores, Ph.D., co-founder, president and chief scientific officer of Novira.