Viela Bio Acquisition, Valuation, Funding & Investors

Viela Bio was acquired by Horizon Pharma for $3B in February 2021.

Viela Bio acquisition price

$3B

Acquired by Horizon Pharma · Feb 2021

Viela Bio revenue at acquisition

$12M

Last twelve months · Feb 2021

Cumulative funding Viela Bio raised

$357M

across 2 funding rounds

Key investors in Viela Bio

Viela Bio Overview

About Viela Bio

Viela Bio is a biotechnology business established through a spin-out of inflammatory and autoimmune disease programs from AstraZeneca’s MedImmune. Its pipeline included inebilizumab, developed for neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder, and other immunology biologics. The company was based in Gaithersburg and was acquired by Horizon Therapeutics in 2021. The 2018 formation transaction transferred a defined group of development programs into a separately financed biotechnology company. Its work focused on inflammatory and autoimmune conditions, rather than the tumor adenosine-receptor program incorrectly attributed to it in the prior description. AstraZeneca retained an equity interest at formation, while outside investment vehicles supplied additional financing for development of the transferred pipeline. The business subsequently became part of Horizon through the 2021 acquisition, so its later ownership should be distinguished from its original position as an independent spin-out.


Founded

2017

HQ

United StatesWashington, DC

Status

Acquired

Customer focus

B2B

Revenue model

Licensing

Revenue

$12M (Feb 2021)

Valuation

$3B (acquired Feb 2021)

Viela Bio Acquisition

Viela Bio was acquired by Horizon Pharma for $3B on 1 February 2021.

Before the acquisition Viela Bio had raised $357M across 2 funding rounds.

Viela Bio acquisition details
AcquirerDateTypePriceEV/Revenue
  • Horizon Pharma
1 Feb 2021Strategic M&A$3B256.4x

Viela Bio Funding History

Viela Bio has raised a total of $357M across 2 funding rounds.

Viela Bio's first fundraising round was a $282M Series A in February 2018. The most recent completed round was a $75M Series B in June 2019.

Viela Bio funding rounds

Viela Bio funding rounds
DateStageInvestorsRaisedDeal Summary
Jun 2019Series BHBM Healthcare Investments (lead); Temasek; Goldman Sachs; Barer & Son Capital; Terra Magnum Capital Partners; Viking Global Investors; Cormorant Asset Management$75MViela Bio is a US biotech company founded in February 2018, specializing in treatments for severe inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. HBM Healthcare Investments invested USD 20 million in Viela Bio during Q2 2019 (quarter ended June 30, 2019), as part of new private company investments, with the stake valued at USD 20.0 million at fair value as of June 30, 2019. Overall, Viela had raised more than USD 300 million in capital by mid-2019. HBM continued investing, adding to its total stake of USD 29.5 million by early 2021, when it held 1.75 million shares. The specified June 2019 round matches the HBM investment timing and lead investor role, though other investors like Barer & Son Capital, Cormorant Asset Management, Goldman Sachs, Temasek Holdings, Terra Magnum Capital Partners, and Viking Global Investors are not detailed in these sources for this specific tranche. No round size, post-money valuation, revenue, ARR, EBITDA, or multiples are explicitly stated for this private round. Viela Bio went public after this round and was later acquired by Horizon Therapeutics in February 2021 for USD 53.00 per share in cash, representing a fully diluted equity value of approximately USD 3.05 billion (or referenced as USD 3.1bn in HBM materials). HBM's investment returned 1.19x with 179% gain based on acquisition proceeds, yielding USD 92.75 million on its USD 29.5 million total investment since July 2019. No competitive or market context or use of funds details provided in sources for the 2019 round.
Feb 2018Series A6 Dimensions Capital (lead); AstraZeneca (lead); Boyu Capital (lead); Hillhouse Investment (lead); Temasek; Sirona Capital$282MViela Bio spun out from MedImmune (AstraZeneca's biologics arm) in February 2018 as an independent biotech company focused on developing first-in-class biologics for autoimmune and severe inflammatory diseases, acquiring six molecules including its lead candidate inebilizumab. The launch was backed by up to $250 million in Series A financing from a consortium co-led by 6 Dimensions Capital, Boyu Capital, and Hillhouse Capital, with participation from AstraZeneca (investing $140 million and becoming the largest minority shareholder), Temasek Holdings, and Sirona Capital. This included a Series A-2 round of $142 million co-led by 6 Dimensions Capital, Boyu Capital, and Hillhouse Capital, followed by an additional $30 million in Series A funding in December 2018 from some of the same investors. AstraZeneca's $140 million investment highlighted its strategic support for Viela's inflammation and autoimmunity pipeline, allowing the company to advance programs targeting root disease pathways while MedImmune refocused on core therapy areas. Viela, based in Gaithersburg, Maryland, was led by Bing Yao, Ph.D., formerly head of MedImmune's Respiratory, Inflammation & Autoimmunity unit, with plans to create 100 jobs over three to five years. Investors praised the robust pipeline, experienced team, and potential to deliver innovative therapies to patients. The funding enabled Viela to operate independently with a world-class biologics portfolio across multiple modalities for autoimmunity. Subsequent developments included a $75 million Series B round in June 2019 led by HBM Healthcare Investments with backers like Goldman Sachs, Temasek, and Viking Global Investors, bringing total funding to $387 million before its $150 million IPO in October 2019, where shares priced at $19 and closed at $23.41 on debut. Viela submitted a Biologics License Application for inebilizumab and allocated IPO proceeds to support it.

Who has invested in Viela Bio?

12 investors have backed Viela Bio across its funding rounds, including Temasek, Goldman Sachs, Hillhouse Investment, Cormorant Asset Management, Viking Global Investors and HBM Healthcare Investments.

Lead investors include HBM Healthcare Investments, 6 Dimensions Capital, AstraZeneca, Boyu Capital and Hillhouse Investment.


Viela Bio Investors

Investors in Viela Bio by funding rounds participated
InvestorHQRoundsRoleFirst check
TemasekSingaporeSingapore2ParticipantFeb 2018
Sirona CapitalCayman IslandsGeorge Town1ParticipantFeb 2018
Boyu CapitalChinaBeijing1LeadFeb 2018
HBM Healthcare InvestmentsSwitzerlandZug1LeadJun 2019
AstraZenecaUnited KingdomCambridge1LeadFeb 2018
Hillhouse InvestmentSingaporeSingapore1LeadFeb 2018
Goldman SachsUnited StatesNew York City, NY1ParticipantJun 2019
Barer & Son CapitalUnited StatesMendham, NJ1ParticipantJun 2019
Terra Magnum Capital PartnersChinaBeijing1ParticipantJun 2019
Viking Global InvestorsUnited StatesStamford, CT1ParticipantJun 2019

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Viela Bio Competitors

Viela Bio competitors include listed companies like Virbac, Neuland Laboratories, Amoytop Biotech and Regencell Bioscience, and private ones like Heyuan Biotechnology and NewLimit.

Public and private companies comparable to Viela Bio
CompanyHQStatusRevenueEBITDAValuationRevenue Multiple
Heyuan BiotechnologyChinaShanghaiPrivate--$3B-
VirbacFranceFrancePublicly listed$1.7B$325M$3B1.8x
Neuland LaboratoriesIndiaIndiaPublicly listed$201M$61M$3B13.1x
Amoytop BiotechChinaChinaPublicly listed$551M$193M$3B4.7x
Regencell BioscienceHong KongHong KongPublicly listed-($3M)$2.9B-
NewLimitUnited StatesSan Francisco, CAPrivate--$3.1B-

Viela Bio Public Comps

Viela Bio is no longer listed, but its public comps include Virbac, Neuland Laboratories, Amoytop Biotech, Regencell Bioscience, uniQure, Celldex Therapeutics, Zealand Pharma, Betta Pharmaceuticals, MBX Biosciences and Jilin Aodong.

Last FYEV/RevenueEV/EBITDA
RevenueEBITDALast FYLTM2027ELast FYLTM2027E
Virbac$1.7B$325M1.9x1.8x9.9x9.0x
Neuland Laboratories$201M$61M15.0x13.1x49.3x44.6x
Amoytop Biotech$551M$193M5.5x4.7x15.6x-
Regencell Bioscience-($3M)--(923.4x)-
uniQure$16M($134M)143.6x112.7x(17.3x)(11.8x)
Celldex Therapeutics$2M($255M)1520.5x1421.3x(9.2x)(7.6x)
Zealand Pharma$1.4B$1B0.5x0.7x0.6x1.3x
Betta Pharmaceuticals$538M$155M6.0x5.5x20.9x16.8x

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Common questions about Viela Bio

When was Viela Bio founded?Viela Bio was founded in 2017.
Where is Viela Bio headquartered?Viela Bio is headquartered in Washington, DC, United States.
Is Viela Bio publicly listed?No, Viela Bio was acquired by Horizon Pharma in February 2021.
Who acquired Viela Bio?Viela Bio was acquired by Horizon Pharma in February 2021.
How much was Viela Bio acquired for?Viela Bio was acquired for $3B in February 2021.
How much funding has Viela Bio raised?Viela Bio has raised $357M across 2 funding rounds.
What was Viela Bio's last funding round?Viela Bio's last funding round was a $75M Series B in June 2019, led by HBM Healthcare Investments.
Who are Viela Bio's investors?Viela Bio's investors include Temasek, Sirona Capital, Boyu Capital, HBM Healthcare Investments, AstraZeneca, Hillhouse Investment, Goldman Sachs, Barer & Son Capital, Terra Magnum Capital Partners, Viking Global Investors and 2 others.
Which companies are comparable to Viela Bio?Companies comparable to Viela Bio include Heyuan Biotechnology, Virbac, Neuland Laboratories, Amoytop Biotech, Regencell Bioscience and NewLimit.

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