On August 28, AusperBio announced the completion of a $120 million Series C financing round. Proceeds from this round will be directed toward three key areas: first, accelerating the Phase III registrational trial and commercialization preparation of the lead program AHB-137 to advance it toward a potential launch; second, advancing the HBV siRNA candidate AHB-171 and exploring next-generation combination regimens anchored on AHB-137, while continuously strengthening an HBV pipeline targeting a functional cure; and third, leveraging the Med-Oligo™ ASO and Au-HALO™ targeted delivery platforms to expand into differentiated oligonucleotide therapies and other areas of major unmet medical need.

AHB-137 is a non-conjugated antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) therapy developed on AusperBio's proprietary Med-Oligo™ ASO platform. It aims to achieve a functional cure for chronic hepatitis B (CHB) by suppressing hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) production, inhibiting viral DNA replication, and restoring immune function. The drug has completed a global Phase I study and multiple Phase II studies with positive efficacy signals and is currently in Phase III in China. AHB-171, meanwhile, is the first clinical siRNA candidate based on the Au-HALO™ liver-targeted delivery platform, designed to selectively inhibit viral gene expression for potent and durable antiviral activity.

A functional cure for hepatitis B is among the largest unmet medical needs in global hepatology. The worldwide population of chronic HBV patients is enormous, and existing therapies struggle to achieve a functional cure, with high rates of relapse after stopping treatment. Whoever can first deliver an accessible functional-cure regimen has the opportunity to reshape this multi-billion-dollar market. AusperBio co-founder and CEO Cheng Guofeng noted that this financing marks an important milestone in the company's development, further strengthening its R&D and manufacturing capabilities and accelerating its HBV functional-cure strategy.

At a time when capital markets remain broadly cautious, a cumulative $360 million raised in a year and a half reflects both recognition of AusperBio's pipeline progress and a repricing of certainty in the hepatitis B functional-cure niche.