Suzhou, China; May 9, 2018 -- CStone Pharmaceuticals
("CStone") announced today the successful completion of a $260 million (about RMB1.65
billion) financing, the largest Series B funding in the history of the China
biopharmaceutical industry. The investment was led by GIC Private Limited, Singapore's
sovereign wealth fund, with participation from new investors including Sequoia
China, Yunfeng Capital, 6 Dimensions Capital, CITIC PE, Taikang Insurance Group, ARCH Venture Partners, Hillhouse Capital, King Star
Capital, 3W Partners, AVICT, and Terra Mafnum Capital Partners. Existing
investors also participated in this round, including Oriza Seed Venture Capital
, Boyu Capital, and WuXi Healthcare Ventures (currently a 6 Dimensions Capital
fund). Together with the $150 million raised in Series A financing in 2016,
this most recent round of funding brings the total capital raised to $410
million (about RMB2.63 billion).
Founded in 2016 and headquartered in Suzhou, China, CStone is an
innovative biopharmaceutical company led by a management team comprised of
seasoned executives from top multinational pharmaceutical companies. Since its
founding, CStone has focused on the development of innovative drugs and
combination therapies in immuno-oncology, and made significant progress in the establishment
and clinical development of its rich pipeline. As of today, CStone has built a portfolio
of more than ten assets, including four in various clinical stages. In
particular, CS1001, China's first full-length and fully human anti-PD-L1
monoclonal antibody, is completing Phase I dose escalation study and will soon enter
registrational trials. The Suzhou Translational Medicine Research Center,
established by CStone at the end of 2017, will further enhance the efficiency
of clinical development.
Dr. Frank Jiang, Chief Executive Officer of CStone, commented: "We
appreciate the recognition and support from top domestic and overseas
investors, which enabled our Series B financing to be completed in merely two
months. As a young but pragmatic innovative biopharmaceutical company, we have
grown rapidly in less than two years, making significant progress in pipeline
development, external collaboration, and establishment of core team. This round
of financing is critical for CStone’s current and near-term growth".
Choo Yong Cheen, Chief Investment Officer of Private Equity at
GIC, said: "GIC is pleased to be the lead investor in this financing round by
CStone. CStone is one of China’s most innovative pharmaceutical companies, with
a strong pipeline, a world-class management team and a team of clinical
developers with international calibre. We are confident in the long-term growth
potential of China’s biopharmaceutical industry and CStone’s leading position in
the field of immuno-oncology".
All existing investors from Series A participated in this round of
financing, continuing their strong support for CStone's growth. Dr. Wei Li,
Managing Partner of 6 Dimensions Capital, said: "Within only a few years,
immunotherapies now account for more than half of the oncology development
projects in the world. The era of cancer immunotherapy and combination therapy has
arrived. As one of the founding investors, we are delighted to see CStone achieving
such remarkable results in the advancement of innovative cancer immunotherapies
and are convinced of CStone’s potential. We are thrilled to continuing our support
of CStone and their quest for the development of high quality immuno-oncology
based combination therapies and becoming the leading biotech company in China."
The funds raised in this round will be primarily used for clinical
development of CS1001 and other clinical stage assets, expanding company pipeline
through internal R&D and external partnerships, and attracting top industry
talents, for delivering breakthrough therapeutic solutions to cancer patients.
About CStone Pharmaceuticals
CStone Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company devoted to
the development of next-generation innovative drugs. With its broad
immuno-oncology pipeline, the firm is pursuing a development strategy focused
on combination therapy. All members of the management team are seasoned
executives from top multinational pharmaceutical companies. CStone has
successfully built up an industry leading team with clinical development and
translational medicine as its core competence. With substantial funding and
robust pipeline, CStone is well positioned as the partner of choice for
multinational pharmaceutical / biotech companies to develop drugs in China and
the Asia-Pacific region.
For more information about CStone
Pharmaceuticals, please visit:
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