A selection of our investments.
Infectious disease is a looming threat which pops up from time to time. Viral outbreaks, fungal infections and contaminated water sources are significant problems, which are effectively addressed by a number of anti-infectives. However, with resistance development, newer anti-infectives are needed.
Basilea focuses on the development of anti-infectives, and has an antifungal and antibacterial treatment registered on the market. Recently they have made the strategic decision to focus entirely on the anti-infective business and to scale down investment in the oncology franchise.
This means that the company will be profitable and able to finance their own development pipeline, which is an important asset during turmoil on the financial markets.
Ultimovacs is a pharmaceutical company developing novel immunotherapies against cancer. The lead product candidate is UV1, a peptide-based vaccine inducing a specific T cell response against the universal cancer antigen telomerase.
UV1 is being developed as a therapeutic cancer vaccine which may serve as a platform for use in combination with other immuno-oncology drugs which require an ongoing T cell response for their mode of action. Ultimovacs is performing a broad clinical development program with clinical trials in Europe and the USA.
Ultimovacs was established in 2011. The company and its proprietary technology is based on pre-clinical and clinical research on immunotherapies conducted at the Oslo University Hospital. The company is a limited public liability company listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange in Norway.
Egetis is continuing on the work started at Erasmus MC to develop Tiratricol in the indication of MCT8 deficiency (Allan-Herndon-Dudley syndrome), a severe pediatric disorder leading to mental retardation and metabolic abnormalities.
With early clinical success, egetis is set for confirming this data in a registrational trial that is more or less copying the completed trial, with an additional 15-20 patients. EMA has deemed the currently available clinical data as sufficient for registration in the EU, giving Egetis a well defined route to bring the compound to patients in an expedited manner.
The need for this compound is evident, as physicians are already treating patients off-label, based on experience from the original Triac trial, in which symptoms of peripheral thyrotoxicosis (excessive thyroid hormone in the periphery causes significant problems) were greatly diminished. Young patients also expierenced improvement of cns function measured by the gross motor function measure, which is an indicator that this compound has a significant impact on neurologic development.
Inventiva is developing lanifibranor, a potent ppar inhibitor, that has shown robust results in a phase 2b trial in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Following late-stage failures from genfit and intercept pharmaceuticals, Inventiva is now in pole position for the development of an effective treatment for NASH. A phase 3 study has just been started, which should confirm these results. The outstanding phase 2b results were published in the NEJM, a feat that has been accomplished by no more than 5 other listed european biotech companies over the past 5 years, of which all but one where in a major M&A deal. Needless to say, the prospects of lanifibranor are compelling.
Inventiva also has excellent management and scientific staff, and a collaboration project (cedirogant) which is set to advance into late stage clinical trials. Inventiva is listed at Euronext Paris and at Nasdaq.