Date: 2013-10-03
Type of information: Series B financing round
Company: Merus (The Netherlands)
Investors: Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation (JJDC) (USA)
Novartis Venture Fund (Switzerland)
Pfizer Venture Investments (USA)
Bay City Capital (USA)
LSP (The Netherlands)
Aglaia Oncology Fund (The Netherlands)
Amount: €47.6 million
Funding type: Series B financing round
Planned used: Merus will use the new funds to broaden its portfolio of pre-clinical programs for the treatment of cancer patients and to bring its lead programs into phase I clinical testing.
Others: Merus, a biopharmaceutical company focusing on innovative human antibody therapeutics, has announced a €31 million (US$42 million) extension to its Series B financing round, bringing the total round to €47.6 million (US$65 million). Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation (JJDC) joined as a new investor along with existing investors Novartis Venture Fund, Pfizer Venture Investments, Bay City Capital, LSP (Life Sciences Partners), and Aglaia Oncology Fund. A representative of JJDC will join Merus’ Board of Directors.
Earlier this year, Merus presented encouraging research and preclinical data of MCLA-117, a product candidate to treat acute myeloid leukemia, a disease with very poor long-term prognosis. MCLA-117 is based on Merus\' proprietary Biclonics™ ENGAGE platform and is currently in development.
Therapeutic area: Cancer - Oncology
