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Fundraisings and IPOs

Date: 2017-05-04

Type of information: Series A financing round

Company: Vivet Therapeutics (France)

Investors: Novartis Venture Fund (Switzerland) Columbus Venture Partners (Spain) Roche Venture Fund (Switzerland), HealthCap (Sweden) Kurma Partners (France) Ysios Capital (Spain)

Amount: €37.5 million

Funding type: series A financing round

Planned used:

  • • The funds will be used by Vivet Therapeutics to advance a diversified pipeline of gene therapy programs targeting rare, inherited metabolic diseases, including Wilson Disease, progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis type 2 (PFIC2), progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis type 3 (PFIC3) and citrullinemia type I. The company was created in Paris, with a wholly-owned subsidiary in Spain, in 2016 by Jens Kurth (ex Anokion, Novartis), Gloria Gonzalez Aseguinolaza (CIMA, University of Navarra) and Jean Philippe Combal (ex Gensight Biologics, Sanofi), bringing together significant experience and expertise in gene therapy, liver diseases and global drug discovery and development for rare diseases.
  • Vivet Therapeutics is building a gene therapy pipeline based on novel technology developed through its partnerships with, and exclusive licenses from, the Fundación para la Investigación Médica Aplicada (FIMA), a not-for-profit foundation at the Centro de Investigación Medica Aplicada (CIMA), University of Navarra based in Pamplona, Spain; and Massachusetts Eye and Ear (MEE), Boston, USA. The licenses cover exclusive use of novel proprietary AAV vector gene therapy technology to treat metabolic diseases and certain MEE patent-protected Anc80 AAV gene therapy vectors. Anc80 is a next-generation gene therapy technology designed to increase gene expression levels in the liver, while reducing the risk of undesired immunogenicity.
  • Its lead program, VTX801, is a novel investigational gene therapy targeting Wilson Disease. It uses a novel modified AAV vector to transport a truncated functional version of the ATP7B gene into the liver cells carrying the defective gene to treat the underlying cause of the disease; to restore copper metabolism, reduce liver damage and improve liver function. Vivet expects to initiate first in human trials with VTX801 in Wilson disease by the end of 2018.

Others:

  • • On May 4, 2017, Vivet Therapeutics, an emerging biotechnology company developing novel gene therapies for rare, inherited metabolic diseases, announced it has raised €37.5 million in a Series A financing round. The round involved a syndicate of leading international life sciences investors led by Novartis Venture Fund and Columbus Venture Partners, and including Roche Venture Fund, HealthCap, Kurma Partners and Ysios Capital.

Therapeutic area: Rare diseases - Metabolic diseases

Is general: Yes