Celea Therapeutics, backed by PureTech, raised $180 million to advance deupirfenidone, its retooled pirfenidone program for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. The company said it will use the proceeds to launch the drug into late-stage testing in the third quarter of 2026. Celea positions deupirfenidone as an updated version of Esbriet (pirfenidone), aiming to improve efficacy and tolerability versus the existing standard options. The biotech cited Phase 2 data released in late 2024 showing slowed lung-function decline compared with placebo over six months. Analyst Faisal Khurshid of Leerink Partners characterized the Phase 2 readout at the time as improved efficacy with similar to slightly better tolerability, underscoring why investors continue to back next-generation fibrosis platforms while multiple competitors pursue new formulations and combinations.