RTW Biotech to Inject $6 Million in Avere Therapeutics Ahead of Reverse Merger

02:42 AM EDT, 08/12/2026 (MT Newswires) -- London-listed life sciences-focused investor RTW Biotech Opportunities (RTW.L) will invest a total of $5.9 million in Avere Therapeutics through two private placements. The private portfolio company, which accounts for 0.3% of RTW's net asset value as of June 30, will also implement a reverse merger with clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company NextCure, according to a Wednesday filing. The combined entity, expected to be created by the end of 2026 via an all-stock merger, will be named Avere Therapeutics and trade on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol AVRX. Both private placements are slated to close immediately before the completion of the all-stock merger. Avere will use the $820 million in proceeds to finance its lead asset AVR-001 through a phase 2b readout and phase 3 trial in psoriasis and a phase 2b trial in ulcerative colitis.