The Swiss drug development company Windward Bio recently announced that it had officially launched with a $200 million Series A financing co-led by the leading global investors Novo Holdings, OrbiMed, Blue Owl Healthcare Opportunities, and others.
“Our mission in starting Windward Bio is to discover and develop novel therapeutics for people living with serious immunological conditions,” said Luca Santarelli, Founder, CEO, and Chairman of Windward Bio in a press release.
Windward’s lead candidate, WIN378, is a recombinant, fully human monoclonal antibody with long-acting properties that can potentially be dosed every six months. WIN378 targets ligand of thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP), a cytokine that is expressed by epithelial cells. TSLP has been found to play a key role in different immune diseases, such as boosting inflammation in asthma and COPD.
WIN378 is not the first antibody to target TSLP for the treatment of asthma. In 2021, AstraZeneca and Amgen’s asthma biologic, Tezspire (tezepelumab-ekko), was approved by the FDA for the treatment of severe asthma. However, Windward’s team believes that the long-acting properties and the far less frequent dosing need of WIN378, provide a great advantage for patients.
“Targeting the TSLP ligand is a highly validated approach in multiple immunological conditions, and WIN378 represents a significant advance in TSLP therapy by enhancing the benefits of this class with a dosing regimen of every six months, which can reduce the burden of treatment and improve outcomes for people living with severe asthma,” Santarelli explained.
Windward is currently preparing a Phase 2 trial, which will study WIN378 in patients with severe asthma. The first clinical readouts are expected in 2026. The company also wants to launch additional clinical trials in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), where there is a large unmet medical need. Asthma, for example, affects more than 260 million people around the world. And according to the WHO, COPD is the fourth leading cause of death worldwide, affecting up to 400 million people globally.
“Addressing the unmet needs of patients with severe, uncontrolled asthma and COPD, particularly through innovative therapies that reduce the burden of care for both individuals and healthcare systems, represents a meaningful advancement in respiratory care,” said Naveed Siddiqi, Senior Partner at Novo Holdings in a press release.
“WIN378, with its best-in-class potential to provide effective treatment through a six-month dosing regimen, could transform how these challenging conditions are managed, offering both clinical and practical benefits. [...] We are excited to partner once again with the management team of Windward Bio, serial entrepreneurs with a proven track record of success.”
Windward Bio is also working on a discovery pipeline of long-acting bispecific antibodies, which will use validated targets and synergistic biology to treat immunological diseases. The Series A financing will also help advance two undisclosed programs through IND-enabling studies.
