NextCure IncNextCure merges with Avere in all-stock deal, becoming Avere Therapeutics on Nasdaq.

RTW Biotech Opportunities Ltd. announced that its private portfolio company Avere Therapeutics agreed to merge with NextCure Inc. in an all-stock transaction. The combined company will operate as Avere Therapeutics and trade on Nasdaq under the ticker AVRX, with the deal expected to close by year-end. Avere is also raising a total of $820 million through two private placements, including a previously announced $320 million placement and a new $500 million placement. RTW Bio will participate in both offerings, with its total investment expected to be $5.9 million. The proceeds are intended to fund Avere's lead asset, AVR-001, through a Phase 2b readout in psoriasis, the initiation of a Phase 3 psoriasis trial, and a Phase 2b trial in ulcerative colitis. This marks RTW Bio's fourth reverse merger of 2026, following Yarrow Bioscience, Obsidian Therapeutics, and Serapha Bio. Avere represented 0.3% of RTW Bio's NAV as of June 30, following the first $320 million private placement.
NextCure IncNextCure merges with Avere in all-stock deal, becoming Avere Therapeutics on Nasdaq.
Avere merges with NextCure and raises $820M to fund clinical trials.