Venture capital creates US-based company to develop medicines developed in China

As Chinese biopharmaceutical companies rise on the international stage, they are increasingly finding VC partners in the United States.

U.S. companies have long had licensing agreements with Chinese pharmaceutical companies. But U.S. venture capitalists are increasingly building U.S.-based companies from scratch to test and ultimately commercialize innovative medicines developed in China.

Most recently, Bain Capital Life Sciences, Atlas Venture, and RTW Investments co-led a $400 million Series A funding (one of the biotech industry’s largest funding rounds this year) for Massachusetts-based We have launched a new startup company, Kailera Therapeutics. The company was formed to develop and market outside China three injectable and oral weight loss drug candidates licensed from Jiangsu Hengrui Pharmaceuticals, one of China’s largest pharmaceutical giants.