ImmunityBio Secures $100 Million in Financing to Support Global Expansion of ANKTIVA Immunotherapy
Key Insights
ImmunityBio secured $75 million in non-dilutive financing from Oberland Capital (search) and converted $25 million in debt to equity, strengthening its balance sheet for global expansion.
ANKTIVA, the company's IL-15 receptor (search) superagonist immunotherapy, has achieved regulatory approval across 34 countries in under two years since initial FDA approval.
The financing will support commercial scaling and pipeline advancement following recent approvals for BCG-unresponsive bladder cancer and lung cancer indications.
ImmunityBio has strengthened its financial position with $100 million in financing transactions, including $75 million in non-dilutive funding and $25 million in debt conversion, as the company accelerates global commercialization of its flagship immunotherapy ANKTIVA following rapid international regulatory approvals.
The commercial-stage immunotherapy company announced it secured $75 million under an amended Revenue Interest Purchase Agreement (RIPA) with Oberland Capital (search), bringing total committed capital under the agreement to $375 million. Simultaneously, Nant Capital (search), an entity affiliated with Executive Chairman Patrick Soon-Shiong, converted $25 million of outstanding debt into 4.6 million shares of common stock.
"This additional non-dilutive financing gives us the capacity to continue scaling our commercial efforts and expanding globally following recent ANKTIVA approvals, while positioning us to take full advantage of the growth opportunities ahead," said Richard Adcock, President and CEO of ImmunityBio.
Rapid Global Regulatory Success
ANKTIVA (nogapendekin alfa inbakicept-pmln) in combination with BCG for treating BCG-unresponsive non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (search) carcinoma in situ (search) has achieved approval or authorization across five regulatory jurisdictions representing approximately 34 countries. This global regulatory footprint was established in under two years from initial U.S. FDA approval in April 2024.
The approvals span multiple regions:
- United States: FDA approval (April 2024)
- United Kingdom: MHRA authorization (July 2025)
- European Union: Conditional marketing authorization covering all 27 EU member states plus Iceland, Norway, and Liechtenstein (February 2026)
- Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: SFDA accelerated approval for BCG-unresponsive bladder cancer (January 2026)
- Macau SAR: Pharmaceutical Administration Bureau authorization (March 2026)
Notably, Saudi Arabia became the first jurisdiction globally to authorize ANKTIVA for metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (search) in combination with checkpoint inhibitors, receiving conditional accelerated approval in January 2026.
Novel Mechanism of Action
ANKTIVA represents a first-in-class IL-15 receptor (search) superagonist IgG1 fusion complex, consisting of an IL-15 (search) mutant (IL-15N72D) fused with an IL-15 receptor alpha. The drug binds with high affinity to IL-15 receptors on natural killer cells, CD4+ T cells, and CD8+ T cells (search).
The cytokine interleukin-15 plays a crucial role in immune system function by affecting the development, maintenance, and function of key immune cells involved in killing cancer cells. By activating NK cells, ANKTIVA overcomes the tumor escape phase of clones resistant to T cells and restores memory T cell activity, resulting in prolonged duration of complete response.
Strategic Platform Expansion
The financing supports ImmunityBio's broader Cancer BioShield platform, which is designed to stimulate critical lymphocytes including natural killer cells, cytotoxic T cells, and memory T cells. The platform is anchored by ANKTIVA and complemented by a portfolio including adenovirus-vectored vaccines, allogeneic and autologous NK-cell therapies, and additional immunomodulators.
"The non-dilutive financing from Oberland and the conversion of debt to equity by Nant Capital (search) reflect strong confidence in ImmunityBio's strategy and growth potential as a leading immunotherapy company paving the way for next-generation immunotherapy treatments," said Patrick Soon-Shiong, Founder, Executive Chairman and Global Chief Medical and Scientific Officer.
The company's approach harnesses both adaptive and innate immune systems with the goal of restoring immune function and generating lasting immunological memory in patients, potentially reducing reliance on high-dose chemo-radiation therapy.