F2G raises $60M for antifungals

F2G Ltd. (Manchester, U.K.) raised $60 million in a series E round led by new investor Sectoral Asset Management. New investors Novo A/S, Aisling Capital and Brace Pharma Capital also participated, as did existing investors Advent Life Sciences, Novartis Venture Fund, Sunstone Capital and Merifin Capital.

F2G is developing a pipeline of new antifungals it calls orotomides, which it said are active against Aspergillus species and rare and resistant molds. CEO Ian Nicholson told BioCentury that orotomides act as a "highly specific inhibitor" of dihydroorotate dehydrogenase ( DHODH). He said the company's agent is 2,000 times more selective for the fungal enzyme than for the human enzyme, providing a large therapeutic window. ...