Verdiva Bio: Ex-Aiolos team raises $411M for oral GLP-1

Operating as a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company for obesity and cardiometabolic diseases: the pipeline comes from China's Sciwind, covering next-generation oral/injectable weight-loss drugs and including a potential first-in-class once-weekly oral GLP-1.

Betting that a once-weekly oral GLP-1 will rewrite weight-loss drug adherence and accessibility.

$411M Series A (oversubscribed, co-led by Forbion and General Atlantic)

Formed in 2024: the company obtained global development and commercialization rights outside Greater China and Korea from Sciwind Biosciences, with a pipeline including a phase-2-ready once-weekly oral GLP-1; officially launched on 2025-01-09 and simultaneously announced an oversubscribed $411M Series A co-led by Forbion and General Atlantic, with participation from RA Capital, OrbiMed, Logos Capital, Lilly Asia Ventures, and LYFE Capital. Founder Khurem Farooq previously served as CEO of Aiolos Bio (a year earlier the company was sold to GSK for about $1 billion), the core team is largely composed of former Aiolos colleagues, and the Chairman is Mark Pruzanski.

In 2026, the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 2b EVOLVE-2 study of VRB-101 (oral formulation of ecnoglutide) completed enrollment: more than 200 subjects, 22 U.S. sites, 5 active arms plus a placebo arm, once-weekly oral administration for 20 weeks, with the primary endpoint being mean percent change in body weight from baseline; topline data are expected at the end of 2026, and if positive, phase 3 will start in 2027. The pipeline also includes VRB-103 (once-weekly oral amylin, which can be used in combination with VRB-101) and long-acting subcutaneous amylin.

In progress: as of 2026-09-01, EVOLVE-2 has completed enrollment and is awaiting topline data; the company is still advancing the oral GLP-1 and amylin pipelines and has not disclosed new financing.

The team has already validated an exit: a year earlier Farooq sold Aiolos Bio to GSK for about $1 billion, and the same group is starting a new company again, giving high credibility with capital.

The bet is on a formulation inflection point: GLP-1 efficacy has been validated by the market, but injectables are the biggest usage barrier; oral + once-weekly directly removes the barrier.

The China licensing model reduces risk: obtaining a phase-2-ready molecule from Sciwind skips early-stage development risk and goes directly into clinical development after financing.

The oversubscribed $411M is capital endorsement: Forbion and General Atlantic co-led, one round fully funded the clinical advancement budget, and the company was clinical-stage at launch.

Licensing mature molecules and improving dosing can disrupt markets; first movers need not invent targets.

As of 2026-09-01: Verdiva Bio is headquartered in London and San Francisco and remains clinical-stage. EVOLVE-2 (VRB-101, oral ecnoglutide) phase 2b completed enrollment, >200 people, 22 U.S. sites, topline data expected at the end of 2026, and if positive phase 3 will proceed in 2027; VRB-103 (once-weekly oral amylin) is under development as a combination candidate. Since completing the oversubscribed $411M Series A in 2025-01, no new financing has been disclosed.