Apellis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the development of therapeutic compounds through the inhibition of the complement system for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Its lead product candidate is pegcetacoplan that is in Phase III clinical trials for the treatment of geographic atrophy in age-related macular degeneration and paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) diseases; cold agglutinin disease; C3 glomerulopathy; and other glomerular diseases, such as IgA nephropathy, primary membranous nephropathy, and lupus nephritis. The company also develops APL-9, which is in single ascending dose Phase I randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled clinical trials for the prevention of immune system activation coincident with adeno-associated virus for intravenous administration, as well as is in Phase I/II clinical trial for acute respiratory distress syndrome. It has a collaboration and license agreement with Swedish Orphan Biovitrum AB (publ) to co-develop pegcetacoplan. The company was incorporated in 2009 and is based in Waltham, Massachusetts.