What Cerecor does

Cerecor, now operating as Avalo Therapeutics, Inc., is a clinical-stage biotechnology company founded in 2011 and publicly traded on NASDAQ under the ticker CERC. Headquartered at 1500 Liberty Ridge Drive, Suite 321, Wayne, Pennsylvania, the company employs between 11 and 50 people and is focused on discovering, developing, and commercializing neuroscience and immunology drugs, with current strategic emphasis redirected toward immune-mediated inflammatory diseases. The legal entity has historically operated under both the Cerecor and Avalo Therapeutics names, with Avalo serving as the current doing-business-as identity and brand. Ownership is dispersed among public shareholders with no disclosed parent company; the company maintains an investor relations site (ir.avalotx.com), a corporate LinkedIn presence, and a careers page signaling ongoing organizational activity.

Avalo's core technology is a proprietary IL-1β (interleukin-1 beta) pathway-targeting antibody platform. The lead asset, abdakibart (AVTX-009), is a monoclonal antibody that recently completed Phase 2 clinical development with positive topline data reported from the LOTUS study in moderate-to-severe Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS). The pipeline was expanded in June 2026 with AVTX-010, a long-acting next-generation anti-IL-1β monoclonal antibody designed to extend dosing intervals and build on abdakibart's differentiated profile. Both candidates target the same IL-1β pathway, representing a focused therapeutic approach for patients with immune-mediated inflammatory conditions.

Because Avalo is pre-commercial, its revenue model is currently defined by R&D milestones and capital markets activity rather than product sales. The company has historically supplemented equity financing with a $35 million debt facility from Horizon Technology Finance Corporation in 2021 ($20M funded at closing, up to $15M in milestones) and earlier equity rounds, while pursuing M&A as a pipeline-building lever (acquisitions of Ichorion Therapeutics in 2018, Zylera Pharmaceuticals in 2017, and Aevi Genomic Medicine in 2019). Customer-facing activity is limited to clinical trial operations through academic medical centers and trial networks, with go-to-market channels restricted to investor relations, scientific conferences, and press releases.

Name

Cerecor

Legal name

Avalo Therapeutics, Inc.

Website

https://cerecor.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Avalo Therapeutics (formerly Cerecor) is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing monoclonal antibody therapeutics targeting the IL-1β pathway for immune-mediated inflammatory diseases, with lead candidate abdakibart in Phase 2 for hidradenitis suppurativa.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Clinical-stage Biopharmaceuticals — Inflammation & Immunology Therapeutics

NAICS

Biological Product (except Diagnostic) Manufacturing (325414), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834)

akta.pro primary industry

Monoclonal Antibody Therapeutics (mAbs) (HLAAAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Immunology & Inflammation Pharmaceuticals (HLAIAAAD)

Keywords

• Clinical-stage biotechnology
• Monoclonal antibody therapeutics
• IL-1β pathway inhibitors
• Inflammatory disease drugs
• Hidradenitis suppurativa treatment

Headquarters

HQ city

Baltimore

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Cerecor (operating as Avalo Therapeutics) is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing monoclonal antibody therapeutics that target the IL-1β pathway for immune-mediated inflammatory diseases. Its lead candidate abdakibart (AVTX-009) has recently completed Phase 2 LOTUS clinical development for hidradenitis suppurativa, and the company is also advancing AVTX-010, a long-acting next-generation anti-IL-1β antibody. The company is pre-commercial and has no marketed products.

Product overview

Avalo (formerly Cerecor) is a clinical-stage biotechnology company with a unified platform focused on developing novel IL-1β pathway-targeted therapeutics for immune-mediated inflammatory diseases. The company's portfolio consists of two pipeline products: abdakibart (AVTX-009), a monoclonal antibody that recently completed Phase 2 development for Hidradenitis Suppurativa, and AVTX-010, a next-generation long-acting anti-IL-1β antibody in development to extend dosing intervals. Both products target the same IL-1β pathway, representing a focused therapeutic approach.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• abdakibart (AVTX-009): Lead candidate, anti-IL-1β antibody for hidradenitis suppurativa (HS)
• AVTX-010

Products and services

• Abdakibart (AVTX-009) Monoclonal antibody therapeutic targeting the IL-1β pathway for immune-mediated inflammatory diseases; recently completed Phase 2 clinical development for moderate to severe hidradenitis suppurativa. Intended for patients with HS and other IL-1β-mediated inflammatory conditions.
• AVTX-010 Long-acting next-generation anti-IL-1β monoclonal antibody in development to extend dosing intervals and build upon the differentiated profile established by abdakibart. Intended for inflammatory diseases where IL-1β plays a central role.

Quantifiable outcome

• Positive topline data from LOTUS study in moderate to severe Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS)

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Inflarx Therapeutics: Clinical-stage biotech developing complement/immune pathway biologics for HS and other inflammatory diseases. Directly comparable as a similarly sized, mechanism-focused biotech competing in the same indication.
• AnaptysBio: Clinical-stage immunology biotech with an IL-36R antibody (imsidolimab) in development for HS. Comparable as a similarly sized peer with a focused, mechanism-driven approach to inflammatory skin disease.
• Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals: Commercial and clinical-stage biotech developing anti-IL-1 therapeutics (e.g., rilonacept/Arcalyst) for inflammatory diseases. Comparable as a peer operating in the same IL-1 pathway therapeutic space.
• MoonLake Immunotherapeutics: Developing sonelokimab, an IL-17A/F biologic for HS and other inflammatory skin diseases. Directly comparable as a late-stage clinical competitor in HS with a focused inflammation pipeline.

Broad incumbents

• AbbVie: Develops and commercializes Humira, Skyrizi, and Rinvoq across HS and other inflammatory diseases. Comparable as a broad incumbent setting the standard of care Avalo must beat or differentiate against.
• UCB: Major immunology player with bimekizumab (Bimzelx) approved in HS. Comparable as an established incumbent already competing in the same indication Avalo is pursuing.
• Novartis: Global pharma with secukinumab (Cosentyx) approved in HS and a deep IL-pathway portfolio. Comparable as a broad incumbent dominating the inflammatory biologics space Avalo is entering.
• Eli Lilly: Markets ixekizumab (Taltz) approved for HS and operates a broad immunology franchise. Comparable as a broad incumbent already present in the indication.

Emerging players

• Swedish Orphan Biovitrum (Sobi): Specialty biotech commercializing IL-1 pathway therapeutics (e.g., anakinra, canakinumab rights). Comparable as an emerging player with commercial experience in the IL-1 pathway Avalo is targeting.
• Boehringer Ingelheim: Developer of spesolimab (Spevigo) for inflammatory skin conditions with ongoing HS development. Comparable as an emerging player pursuing novel mechanisms in HS.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cerecor-inc-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds8 records

Investors6 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A3 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cerecor