Seattle-based biotech startup Curevo has secured a massive $110 million Series B funding round to accelerate the development of its promising shingles vaccine, amezosvatein. This vaccine candidate, designed with a proprietary adjuvant to enhance its effectiveness, is now moving deeper into Phase 2 clinical trials. Unlike traditional vaccines, amezosvatein leverages a non-living component of the virus, aiming to trigger a strong immune response with fewer side effects.
Shingles, a painful condition caused by the reactivation of the chickenpox virus, has long been dominated by GlaxoSmithKline’s Shingrix, approved back in 2017. However, Curevo believes it’s time for a new player to enter the arena.
The Series B round was led by Medicxi, a biotech-focused investment firm based in Europe. Other heavyweight investors include OrbiMed, HBM Healthcare Investments, Sanofi Ventures, RA Capital Management, Janus Henderson Investors, Adjuvant Capital, and Curevo’s founding backer GC Biopharma.
Alongside the funding news, Curevo announced key leadership changes to strengthen its board. Moncef Slaoui, a former GlaxoSmithKline executive known for his vaccine expertise, joins as board chair. New board members also include Giovanni Mariggi from Medicxi and Tal Zaks, former Moderna Chief Medical Officer and now a partner at OrbiMed. Zaks also brings deep experience from his time at GSK.
Mariggi expressed strong confidence in Curevo’s approach:
“Patients, doctors, and payors all agree there’s room for an improved shingles vaccine like amezosvatein. Its solid immune activity and better tolerability could make it a game-changer in the global shingles vaccine market,” he said.
Curevo is positioning itself as a formidable challenger to GSK’s Shingrix, which currently leads the market. With this fresh capital, the company plans to advance its clinical development and prepare for the large-scale manufacturing necessary to compete globally.
Founded in 2018, Curevo emerged from a partnership between GC Pharma, The Mogam Institute for Biomedical Research—a Seoul-based non-profit—and Seattle’s Infectious Disease Research Institute (IDRI), now known as the Access to Advanced Health Institute. GC Pharma brings large-scale vaccine manufacturing capabilities, while IDRI contributed the proprietary adjuvant technology powering amezosvatein.
At the helm of Curevo is CEO George Simeon, who brings global healthcare experience from his time at SK Telecom’s health division in South Korea and leadership roles at Johnson & Johnson.
With an additional $82 million raised in 2022, Curevo’s total funding now surpasses $190 million, setting the stage for the next chapter in its mission to improve shingles vaccination options worldwide.
