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Affimed Closes € 25 million (US $ 32 million) Series
B financing
HEIDELBERG, Germany - April 4, 2007 - Affimed
Therapeutics, AG, a leading developer of next generation antibody therapeutics,
announced today the closing of a € 25 million (US $ 32 million) Series B
financing to enable the Company to fund the clinical development of its lead
products.
This round was led by a global syndicate of new investors from both US and
Europe including BioMedInvest, OrbiMed Advisors, LLC and Life Sciences Partners
(LSP) as well as the existing investor firstVentury.
Based on its proprietary TandAb™ tetravalent antibody format the Company will
focus on their two clinical lead programs, a TandAb for the treatment of
Hodgkin’s disease and another for the treatment of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (NHL).
Affimed also plans to advance additional pre-clinical antibody programs in
various other oncology and anti-inflammatory indications.
“Attracting these top-tier international investors represents a strong
validation of Affimed’s unique and highly versatile alternative approach to
conventional antibody technologies as well as its advanced product pipeline. We
are now in an excellent position to advance the clinical development of our lead
antibodies into Phase II for the treatment of cancer,” said Rolf H. Günther, MD
PhD, Chief Executive Officer of Affimed.
“We are pleased that the Affimed team has received this recognition from the
international venture community” stated firstVentury Managing Partner George
Rehm. We have always believed in the strength of the company and the innovative
character of Affimed’s antibody technology platform. With the assistance of our
new investment partners we trust that Affimed will be able to swiftly move its
first products into the clinic.”
Gerhard Ries, PhD, General Partner at BioMedInvest, commented:
“Affimed has one of the largest proprietary libraries of therapeutic antibodies
and some of the most versatile antibody formats in the industry. We are
confident that Affimed is well positioned to deliver innovative next generation
antibodies with novel properties for the treatment of cancer and inflammatory
diseases of high unmet clinical need.”
Michael Sheffery, PhD, General Partner at OrbiMed, added:
“Advancements in antibody engineering and technology offer a huge opportunity
for a further strong growth in the monoclonal antibody market. With its
proprietary TandAb antibody formats and its strong IP position Affimed is well
positioned for growth in this exciting market.”
Mark Wegter, General Partner at LSP said:
“We are convinced that Affimed has all the assets in place to become one of the
future leaders within the European biotech industry. We are delighted to be able
to support the Company and its management team in attaining this goal.”
Gerhard Ries, PhD, General Partner at BioMedInvest, Michael Sheffery, PhD,
General Partner at OrbiMed and Mark Wegter, General Partner at LSP will join
Affimed’s Supervisory Board.
Affimed’s Chief Financial Officer Florian Fischer, M.B.A. (Dipl.-Kfm.), PhD,
concluded, “We welcome Drs. Ries, Sheffery and Wegter to our Board. Collectively
they bring valuable industry and drug development expertise as well as global
networks within the pharmaceutical industry. That will prove to be important as
we transition our antibody fragment therapeutic candidates from preclinical
development into the clinic.”
BIO-IB Inc. a New York based life science investment bank (www.bio-ib.com)
and MedVenture Partners, a Munich based healthcare and life science corporate
finance and strategy advisory firm (www.medventurepartners.com),
acted as advisors to the transaction.
About Affimed Therapeutics AG
Affimed is a private Heidelberg, Germany based biopharmaceutical company
specialising in the development of recombinant antibodies - the fastest growing
segment of the pharmaceutical industry. Affimed was founded in May 2000 by
Professor Melvyn Little as a spin-off of his group »Recombinant Antibodies« at
the German Cancer Research Centre in Heidelberg. By utilizing its broad
portfolio of proprietary, in-house technology platforms together with crucial
enabling freedom-to-operate licenses the company has been able to establish a
pre-clinical product pipeline of promising novel product candidates mainly for
indications in oncology and autoimmune diseases. To learn more about Affimed
please visit www.affimed.com
About BioMedInvest AG
BioMedInvest is a leading independent European venture capital firm,
providing private equity and mezzanine financing to early- to mid-stage
healthcare and life-science companies. Since 2003, BioMedInvest has invested in
nearly 20 highly innovative enterprises four of which have already successfully
completed their IPO (Arpida AG, Santhera Pharmaceuticals AG) or have been
acquired by leading companies in the industry (GlycArt Biotechnology AG) or by
strategic investors (Thommen Medical AG). With more than CHF 150 million in
capital under management and a strong team of experienced specialists with broad
expertise and extensive scientific and financial networks, BioMedInvest has
established itself as one of the leading early-stage healthcare investors in
Europe. For additional information please visit:
www.biomedvc.com
About OrbiMed Advisors, LLC
OrbiMed is a preeminent asset management firm focused on the global health
sciences industry, with over $5 billion in assets under management across a
family of venture capital funds, hedge funds and other investment vehicles.
OrbiMed's investment advisory activities were founded in 1989 by Samuel D. Isaly
with a vision to invest across the spectrum of healthcare companies from small
privately-held firms to large multinational companies.
OrbiMed's investment team includes over 20 experienced professionals with
backgrounds in science, medicine, finance and law. Our professionals work
together in a collaborative, team-oriented approach. OrbiMed seeks to be the
capital provider of choice for life sciences companies pursuing growth and new
opportunities. Where appropriate, particularly within its venture capital
activities, OrbiMed supports its invested companies in achieving strategic,
financial and operational objectives via participation at the Board of Directors
level. OrbiMed professionals currently serve on the Board of Directors of many
different life sciences companies. Further information on OrbiMed is available
at www.orbimed.com
About Life Science Partners
LSP (Life Sciences Partners) is a leading independent European venture capital
firm, providing private equity financing to early- to mid-stage life-science
companies. Since the late 1980s, LSP's management has invested in a large number
of highly innovative enterprises, many of which have grown to become leaders of
the global life-science industry. For example, LSP was a founding investor in
Crucell, DNage, Qiagen, Rhein Biotech and Pharming. With EUR 400 million under
management and offices in Amsterdam, Munich and Boston, LSP is one of Europe's
largest and most experienced specialist life-science investors. Further
information on Life Science Partners is available at
www.lspvc.com
About firstVentury
firstVentury was established in 2000. With the support of SAP founder Klaus
Tschira, firstVentury has become a leading venture capital company in Germany.
firstVentury invests in high-tech companies with the potential to scale into
international markets, particularly North America. Its main focus is on
converging technologies that combine innovations in life sciences/medical
engineering with information technology. In its first fund, firstVentury has
invested in 18 companies. Its second fund, had a first closing at over € 40
million, in October, 2007. firstVentury approach is transatlantic, drawing on
its San Francisco subsidiary, as well as personal contacts and business
connections, to support its portfolio companies as they expand into the
important US market. Further information on firstVentury is available at
www.firstventury.com
Further Information:
Dr Rolf H. Günther
Chief Executive Officer
Affimed Therapeutics AG
t: +49 (0)6221 65 307 30
e: r.guenther@affimed.com
Dr Douglas Pretsell
Account Director, Munich Bureau Chief
Northbank Communications
t : +49 (0)89 57 00 18 06
e: d.pretsell@northbankcommunications.com
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