Sudo Biosciences has raised $116m in a Series B financing round to advance two investigational TYK2 candidates into the clinic.  

The financing round for the US-based company was led by TPG Life Sciences Innovations and The Rise Fund, with participation from Sanofi Ventures, Surveyor Capital (a Citadel company), and others, as well as existing investors Frazier Life Sciences and Velocity Capital. 

Sudo is developing an oral TYK2 inhibitor for the treatment of multiple sclerosis and neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The company is also developing a topical candidate to treat psoriasis and other immune dermatological diseases.  

Sudo is the latest company to establish itself in the TYK2 space, following others such as Takeda and Bristol Myers Squibb, which also have candidates designed to target this kinase. 

In September, Nimbus Therapeutics closed a $210m fundraising round where Takeda acquired its TYK2 inhibitor TAK-279 (NDI-034858), under development for several autoimmune diseases. TAK-279 is currently being investigated in several Phase II and Phase III clinical trials, with a Phase IIb trial (NCT05153148) with the candidate in patients with active psoriatic arthritis, recently meeting its primary endpoint. According to forecasts by GlobalData’s Pharma Intelligence Center, TAK-279 could generate $384m in 2029. 

GlobalData is the parent company of Pharmaceutical Technology. 

Last year, BMS’ Sotyktu (deucravacitinib), a first-in-class TYK2 inhibitor, gained US Food and Drug Association (FDA) approval in the US and EU for the treatment of adult patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. The approval was based on data from the Phase III POETYK PSO-1 and POETYK PSO-2 clinical trials. Sotyktu is forecast to generate $2.48bn in 2029, according to GlobalData.  

Founded in 2020, Sudo raised $37m in a Series A funding round in September 2022.  

In the announcement accompanying the most recent round of funding, Sudo CEO Scott Byrd said: “With this financing, we are well positioned to progress our pipeline of next-generation TYK2 inhibitors and pursue our mission of improving care for the millions of people living with multiple sclerosis, psoriasis and other severe autoimmune and neurologic conditions.”