MicuRx Pharmaceuticals raises $25 million in Series B financing

MicuRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a privately-held biopharmaceutical company developing next-generation antibiotics, today announced it raised $25 million in Series B financing. Led by BVCF, a private equity and growth fund specializing in the life sciences industry, the round also includes existing investors Morningside Group and Devon Park Bioventures.

Proceeds from the Series B financing will be used to fund the U.S. development of MRX-I, a novel oral oxazolidinone antibiotic targeting infections due to multi-drug resistant Gram-positive bacteria, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE). Weixin Xu and Davis Yang of BVCF will join the MicuRx board of directors.

"We invest in companies with experienced management teams and sound strategic plans," said Zhi Yang, general partner at BVCF. "We look forward to supporting the parallel development of MRX-I in the United States and China, as this novel antibiotic has the potential to offer an attractive option for addressing the growing threat of multi-drug resistant bacteria."

"MicuRx's unusually high capital efficiency in their first six years of operation is exceptional for antibiotic development," commented Zhengyu Yuan, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of MicuRx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. "Using a US-China hybrid discovery and development model, MicuRx successfully completed design and optimization of its novel oxazolidinone drug candidates and advanced MRX-I through Phase-1 clinical trials with a fraction of the capital required through a traditional operating model in the United States. With the initiation of Phase 2 clinical trials in China, through the joint venture Shanghai MengKe Pharmaceuticals with Shanghai Zhangjiang Biomedical Industry Venture Capital, we look forward to initiating development of MRX-I through a Phase 2 clinical trial at selected centers in the United States, to ensure successful development of this compound internationally. Importantly, BVCF will be an exceptional partner for MicuRx, with broad contacts internationally and extensive healthcare experience to guide our strategic development and commercialization plans."