F2G Lands $60M for a New Tack on Taking Out Rare Fungal Infections

These small molecules target dihydroorotate dehydrogenase, an enzyme needed to make a compound key to cellular development. F2G’s lead antifungal candidate, olorofim, is currently in an open-label Phase 2b study that is testing the drug against rare and life-threatening fungal infections that have become resistant to treatment. Speaking in 2019 at the Biotech Showcase (an event that Xconomy parent company Informa runs in San Francisco during the annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference), F2G CEO Ian Nicholson said that his company aims to offer a new option for the rare, life-threatening infections faced by immunocompromised patients, such as those undergoing cancer treatment or transplant procedures. Azoles, which belong to a class of antifungals frequently used to treat infections, face growing drug-resistance pressure in part because they are also widely used in agriculture, Nicholson said. The new financing included earlier investors Novo Holdings, Morningside Ventures, Brace Pharma Capital, and Advent Life Sciences.