Celea Therapeutics secures $180m for Phase III SURPASS-IPF trial
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Backed by major investors, Celea Therapeutics will use a massive $180 million financing round to launch a head-to-head Phase III trial comparing its next-generation antifibrotic drug deupirfenidone against standard pirfenidone in IPF patients.
Celea Therapeutics has successfully secured $180m in financing to support the planned pivotal Phase III SURPASS-IPF clinical trial of deupirfenidone (LYT-100). Deupirfenidone is an investigational next-generation antifibrotic and has the potential to serve as a new standard of care for individuals battling idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).
Investors in this substantial financing round include RA Capital Management, PureTech Health, Leaps by Bayer, a major US healthcare fund, and a sovereign wealth fund. The randomised, planned global, double-blind, head-to-head Phase III trial is expected to begin in early Q3 2026. It will carefully compare deupirfenidone 825mg three times a day (TID) to pirfenidone 801mg TID in adults with IPF who are not on background therapy.
The primary efficacy endpoint of the study is the change from baseline in absolute forced vital capacity at week 52, which serves as a critical measure of lung function. Deupirfenidone, a deuterated form of pirfenidone, is actively under development for IPF and has already received orphan drug designation from both the European Commission and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Data from the global Phase IIb ELEVATE IPF trial previously indicated that deupirfenidone may stabilise lung function decline over at least 26 weeks as a monotherapy. Furthermore, initial open-label extension data is highly encouraging, suggesting sustained effects through at least 52 weeks.
According to the company, deupirfenidone could offer a valuable treatment option for other severe fibrotic conditions in the future, including progressive fibrosing interstitial lung diseases. IPF is currently described by the medical community as a rare, progressive and fatal condition characterised by irreversible scarring of the lungs and a steady, debilitating decline in lung function.
