Lipum leads the consortium together with three European partners and will use the funding to support the execution of a clinical Phase 2 proof-of-concept study of Lipum’s drug candidate SOL-116 for the treatment of moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a debilitating chronic inflammatory disease that significantly impacts patients’ quality of life and affects up to 1% of the global population, corresponding to approximately 18 million people worldwide. Lipum has identified the Bile Salt-Stimulated Lipase (BSSL) as a novel therapeutic target for rheumatoid arthritis and has developed SOL-116, a humanized monoclonal antibody directed against BSSL. SOL-116 represents a promising drug candidate with a new mechanism of action.

“We are very pleased to have been selected for this non-dilutive funding from Horizon Europe. Being chosen from a highly competitive field of innovative European companies further validates our scientific approach and underscores the potential of SOL-116 to improve outcomes for people living with rheumatoid arthritis. I would like to thank the European Commission and look forward to providing more information once the agreement has been signed,” says Ola Sandborgh, CEO of Lipum.

The Boosting the translation of biotech research into innovative health therapies, is designed to accelerate the translation of promising biotech research into clinical development and aims to deliver the following outcomes:

• Healthcare providers, researchers and patients get faster access to innovative therapies.
• The European Union benefits from more clinical trials being conducted with new biotech therapeutic approaches.
• The competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from the EU and Associated Countries within the health biotech sector is strengthened.

More information on the Horizon Europe Health initiative can be found here Cluster 1: Health - Research and innovation - European Commission.