Fundraisings and IPOs

* On January 8, 2014, MinervaX, a privately held Danish biotech company, has announced that the company has raised DKK 22 million (€ 3 million) for the development of its Group B Streptococcal Vaccine. The financing was a combination of an equity financing led by Novo Seeds, the seed arm of Novo A/S,supported by Sunstone Capital and LF Investment,and a Syndication Loan from TheDanish Growth Foundation (VækstFonden). The new investors will be joining the current syndicate of SEED Capital and Lund University Innovation System. The financing will complement the DKK 45 million (€6 million) received for the project during the summer of 2013 from the EU under the FP7 program HEALTH for the project. According to Per Fischer, D.Phil., Chief Executive Officer of MinervaX, “The financing combined with the FP7 funding will enable MinervaX to advance the project to clinical proof of concept by late 2016”.

The vaccine candidate is based on a novel innovative fusion protein (GBS-NN) containing the N-terminal domains of the Rib and Alpha surface glycoproteins of GBS. The vaccine candidate has been shown to elicit a highly protective immune response in animal models of GBS infection, and is capable of neutralizing the strains of GBS responsible for up to 95% of all infections (Serotypes Ia, Ib, II, III, & V) in a single vaccine component. The vaccine candidate is currently undergoing GMP manufacturing in preparation forclinical trials to be initiatedearly 2015. In connection with the new financing, Nanna Lüneborg (Novo A/S), Sten Verland (Sunstone Capital), Fredrik Siwmark (LF Investments) will join the Company’s Board of Directors. In addition, Ingelise Saunders, former CEO of Action Pharma and seasoned biotech executive, has been appointed as new independent Chairman.