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Feb 05
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Speciality European Pharma completes two major acquisitions and closes first major financing round of Euro 15million from Advent Venture Partners

By Press Release, SEP
Press Release.

 

Speciality European Pharma Limited (‘SEP’), London UK, today announced that it has acquired Proreo Pharma International AG of Liestal, Switzerland and, in a separate transaction, all worldwide rights to Plenaxis® from Praecis Pharmaceuticals Incorporated, a US company. At the same time SEP announced completion of a €15m ($19m) financing round provided entirely by Advent Venture Partners (‘Advent Ventures’), in conjunction with these acquisitions.

Commenting on the acquisitions, Geoff McMillan CEO of SEP said:

“The acquisition of Proreo Pharma International provides us with access to Haemopressin, a product already approved and marketed in Austria, Germany, Hungary, Korea, Pakistan, Switzerland and Taiwan with further significant potential for pan-European and international sales. Plenaxis® has already obtained marketing approval in Germany as a treatment for advanced or metastatic hormone-dependent prostate cancer. We aim to launch Plenaxis® in Germany and accelerate its approval in the major European territories.”

Geoff McMillan added:

“We are delighted to have had, from the outset, the support and financial backing of an investor like Advent Ventures. The rationale for founding SEP was to acquire products with potential for a broader pan-European appeal and these two acquisitions very much fall into that sweet-spot.”

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Notes: Haemopressin (terlipressin) is indicated for the treatment of Bleeding Oesophageal Varices, a life-threatening medical condition associated with severe liver diseases such as cirrhosis and hepatitis.

Plenaxis® (abarelix) is the first gonadotropin releasing hormone antagonist to be approved for prostate cancer in any country in Europe. In Germany, Plenaxis® is indicated to initiate hormonal castration in patients with advanced or metatstic, hormone-dependent prostate cancer, if androgen suppression is appropriate.

About Speciality European Pharma Limited: The company was founded in April 2006 with the mission of identifying and acquiring specialist pharmaceutical products for the European market. It is backed by Advent Venture Partners a leading investor in the European healthcare sector, and has now completed the acquisition of two products, Haemopressin and Plenaxis®, both of which are approved in certain European markets, and for which registrations in further European and international markets will now be sought.

About Advent Venture Partners – Advent Ventures is one of the most experienced technology venture capital firms in the UK. Established in 1981 it invests in both the Life Science and Information and Communications Technology sectors. Advent Ventures has over £500 million (US$ 900m) under management from institutional investors across Europe and the USA. It has backed around 60 life science companies of which, to date, 19 have obtained public listings and a further 9 companies have been sold including PowderMed (to Pfizer) and KuDOS Pharmaceuticals (to AstraZeneca). Recent investments by the Advent Life Sciences team include Norwegian radiopharmaceuticals company, Algeta; the US speciality pharma company, CardioKine Inc; the US medical device company NeoGuide, UK-based Thiakis which develops hormone-based treatments for obesity and the Swiss therapeutic antibody company, 4-Antibody. For additional information please visit: www.adventventures.com.

For further information please call:

SEP: Geoff McMillan, CEO, + 44 (0) 20 7932 2105, Email: geoff.mcmillan@spepharma.com

Advent Ventures: Shona Prendergast/Francesca Reville, Penrose Financial, + 44 (0) 20 7786 4884/4864

Feb 01
Love0

Advent Ventures Portfolio Company Algeta Applies for Listing on the Oslo Stock Exchange

By Algeta, Press Release
Press Release.

 

Oslo, Norway, February 1st, 2007 – Algeta ASA, the Norwegian therapeutics company, today announced its application for listing on the Oslo Stock Exchange (Oslo Børs). Algeta is taking this step to accelerate the late-stage clinical development of its lead product – Alpharadin – and to provide a strong platform for further growth.

Algeta develops novel and proprietary therapeutics and technologies based on alpha particle emitting radionuclides targeting a broad range of metastatic and disseminated tumors. By harnessing the unique characteristics of alpha emitters, such as high potency and short range, Algeta’s products offer the potential of unrivalled potency without unacceptable toxicities.

Algeta’s lead product based on this technology is Alpharadin, a product being developed as a new treatment for skeletal metastases in patients with late-stage, hormone refractory prostate cancer. Algeta believes Alpharadin will also have potential in treating skeletal metastases originating from other types of cancer, such as breast and lung. This indication represents a large and unmet medical need, with more than 300,000 patients worldwide per year developing skeletal metastases from cancer.

Alpharadin is expected to progress to pivotal Phase III clinical studies based on positive Phase II data, which show that Alpharadin delays the progress of prostate cancer and reduces the extent and effect of metastasis. Detailed results from the first of several Phase II studies to be completed will be presented at the ASCO Prostate Cancer Symposium, which will be held on 22-24 February 2007 in Orlando, Florida, USA.

In addition to Alpharadin, Algeta is actively developing a portfolio of proprietary projects to deliver alpha particle emitting radiotherapies to various other tumor types, including breast, ovarian and gynecological cancers. The most advanced of these, TH-1, has experimentally linked alpha emitters to tumor-targeting peptides and clinically validated antibodies to deliver a lethal radiotherapeutic dose specifically to the tumor.

Commenting on today’s announcement, Algeta’s CEO Thomas Ramdahl, said:

“We believe our technology has tremendous potential for treating a wide range of cancers; alpha particle emitters, when targeted appropriately, are among the most potent sources for the lethal irradiation of tumor cells and metastases, causing minimal damage to normal tissues. With Alpharadin demonstrating good efficacy and safety in clinical trials, we are very excited about both the therapeutic and commercial potential of this product. This, in addition, to our advancing pipeline of novel alpha emitter delivery technologies, gives us great confidence that we can create a business with significant value and growth potential.”

Algeta’s Chairman, John Berriman, said:

“We have decided to take the Company public both to provide better visibility for Algeta’s unique products and technology and to provide sufficient flexibility and strategic funding options for their future development. In particular, a key focus and value driver for Algeta is Alpharadin, which we aim to progress through the next crucial stages of clinical development towards the market where we believe it has the potential to be very successful.”

ABG Sundal Collier and DnB NOR Markets have been appointedas lead financial advisors and Terra Securities isco-lead manage

For further information, please contact

Dr Thomas Ramdahl, CEO, +47 23 00 79 90, thomas.ramdahl@algeta.com

Geir Christian Melen, CFO, +47 23 00 79 84, geir.melen@algeta.com

Dr Mark Swallow / Helena Galilee, Citigate Dewe Rogerson, +44 (0)207 638 9571, mark.swallow@citigatedr.co.uk

About Algeta

Algeta ASA is a Norwegian therapeutics company built on world-leading expertise in nuclear medicine and oncology and dedicated to the development of novel anticancer therapeutics based on alpha particle emitting radionuclides.

By harnessing the unique characteristics of alpha emitters, such as high potency and short range, Algeta is developing new therapeutic candidates and technologies targeting metastatic and disseminated tumors and promising unrivalled potency without unacceptable toxicities.

Algeta’s lead product candidate, Alpharadin, has completed one Phase II trial and is currently in two further Phase II clinical trials as a potential new treatment for pathologies caused by skeletal metastases from prostate cancer. Based on results to date, it is expected to progress to clinical Phase III trials. Alpharadin is a novel bone-seeking radiopharmaceutical based on the alpha particle emitter radium-223.

Algeta is also developing other technologies for delivering alpha emitters including microparticles, liposomes and its receptor targeting technology, which is designed to enhance the potency of therapeutic antibodies and other tumor-targeting molecules by linking them to the alpha particle emitter thorium-227.

In September 2005, Algeta raised NOK 185 million (€23 million) in a venture fundraising involving new and existing investors. Currently, Algeta’s largest shareholders include venture capital firms HealthCap, Advent Venture Partners, Selvaag Venture Capital, SR One and NorgesInvestor.

The Company is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, and was founded in 1997 as Anticancer Therapeutic Inventions.

Forward-looking Statement: This news release is not and under no circumstances is to be construed as a solicitation, offer, or recommendation, to buy or sell securities issued by Algeta.

The information contained herein is not for publication or distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States of America, Canada or Japan.

This news release contains forward-looking statements and forecasts based on uncertainly, since they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur in the future and which, by their nature, will have an impact on results of operations and the financial condition of Algeta. There are a number of factors that could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Theses factors include, among other things, risks associated with technological development, the risk that research & development will not yield new products that achieve commercial success, the impact of competition, the ability to close viable and profitable business deals, the risk of non- approvals of patents not yet granted and difficulties of obtaining relevant governmental approvals for new products.