Washington-based EIT Pharma, Inc. has closed an oversubscribed USD 35 million Series A financing round to support the late-stage regulatory review of lonafarnib, an investigational oral farnesyltransferase inhibitor that could become the first oral FDA-approved therapy for chronic hepatitis D (CHD), a serious liver disease affecting an estimated 12 million people worldwide.
Propel Bio Partners led the round, with Good Ventures and Arrowtown also participating. EIT Pharma said proceeds will fund continued FDA review activities for lonafarnib, manufacturing preparation, and commercial readiness steps subject to regulatory approval, as well as the advancement of its broader infectious disease pipeline.
EIT Pharma was formed around assets acquired from the bankruptcy estate of Eiger BioPharmaceuticals in September 2024, paying USD 5.2 million for the lonafarnib antiviral program and USD 1.0 million for peginterferon lambda. The company subsequently revived the CHD program and secured FDA acceptance of the lonafarnib NDA in August 2026.
Lonafarnib, the company's lead asset, inhibits farnesyltransferase, disrupting a prenylation-dependent step required for hepatitis D virus assembly. It is co-administered with ritonavir as a pharmacokinetic booster and is the only oral therapeutic candidate in late-stage clinical development for CHD. The NDA is supported by the pivotal Phase III D-LIVR study, described as the largest clinical trial conducted in CHD. The company said the oral formulation and room-temperature storage profile may offer practical advantages over injectable alternatives for patients and prescribers. EIT Pharma presented new lonafarnib analyses at the European Association for the Study of the Liver Congress in May 2026.
The company's second pipeline asset, peginterferon lambda, a type III interferon originally licensed from Bristol-Myers Squibb by Eiger BioPharmaceuticals in 2016, is in Phase II development for severe acute viral respiratory tract infections. EIT Pharma said Series A proceeds will also support advancement of that program.
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