Celea Therapeutics secured $180M to run a pivotal Phase 3 head-to-head study for deupirfenidone in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), targeting a pivotal readout for a potentially differentiated oral option. The investor financing is earmarked for the trial that will compare the drug directly against a standard-of-care IPF therapy. The study design, as described, is centered on a head-to-head efficacy comparison, which can be pivotal for positioning in a competitive IPF landscape where regulators and payers often weigh comparative outcomes heavily. PureTech Health’s spinout is using the capital to move the program into the clinical decision zone. For IPF-focused developers, the immediate takeaway is the scale and commitment behind a late-stage comparative strategy, suggesting Celea is aiming for an outcome that can support labeling and commercialization requirements rather than a smaller exploratory data package.