ProFibrix raises
up to $ 11 million ( 8.5 million) Series A financing led by Index Ventures
Leiden, The Netherlands, 26 March
2007: ProFibrix B.V., a Dutch biotech company focused on products to
stop bleeding and initiate tissue repair, today announced that it has closed a
Series A financing raising $11 Million. The round was led by Index Ventures, a
top tier venture capital firm based in Geneva, Switzerland. Some of the
current share holders of ProFibrix also participated in this financing round.
It was also announced that Dr. Bram Bout, who previously held the position of
VP protein production at Crucell (Leiden, The Netherlands) and has
approximately 15 years experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, will join
ProFibrix as of 1 April 2007 as Chief Technology Officer.
ProFibrix will use the funds to develop its lead product, FibrocapsTM, a dry
powder topical haemostat, for the treatment of severe haemorrhage that occurs
during surgery and in trauma situations. FibrocapsTM is based on human
fibrinogen and thrombin, two essential proteins in the natural clotting
cascade that are formulated, using micro-particle technology, as a readily
available, pre-mixed, dry powder blend. ProFibrix will also develop other high
added value products based on fibrinogen for the haemostasis and tissue repair
market.
Commenting on the financing round Dr. Jaap Koopman, Founder and CEO of
ProFibrix said: We are delighted to have closed this financing round with
Index Ventures, a first class investor in the Life Sciences, providing not
only financial resources but also strong support in building our Company. The
funds raised will enable us to establish clinical proof of concept in a Phase
II clinical study for FibrocapsTM our lead product. FibrocapsTM is based on
the micro-particle formulation technology, developed by our partner Quadrant
Drug Delivery Ltd (now part of the Vectura plc group). FibrocapsTM is easy to
use and, unlike existing liquid fibrin sealant products, stable at ambient
temperatures. This will enable us to expand the use of FibrocapsTM into the
pre-hospital setting for the treatment of trauma haemorrhage, which
substantially increases the market potential of this dry powder fibrin sealant
product. The financing also enables ProFibrix to expand the management team by
recruiting highly experienced people like Dr. Bram Bout.
Dr. Mark de Boer, Venture Partner at Index Ventures, who will be chairing the
ProFibrix Board of Supervisory Directors commented: The lead product of
ProFibrix will be a breakthrough in treating severe bleeding. The short, low
risk and inexpensive clinical development of this product makes it an ideal
stepping stone to rapidly increase the value of the company. This will allow
us to leverage the fibrinogen technology platform by development of
innovative, customized products for the haemostasis and tissue repair market.
Notes for Editors
About ProFibrix
ProFibrix is a biotech company that was founded in January 2004 and is located
in the Bioscience Park Leiden, The Netherlands. The company aims to create,
develop and market new and innovative healthcare products, based on the unique
properties of human fibrinogen. The company has already developed an extensive
network of academic and industrial collaborations that support the R & D
activities. www.profibrix.com
About Index Ventures
Index Ventures is a leading pan-European venture capital firm dedicated to
working with entrepreneurs who have the drive and ability to build world-class
technology and life science companies. The Index Ventures team, which began
investing in 1992, has a deep technology and scientific focus and the ability
to leverage a network of cross-Atlantic strategic relationships. Index
proactively seeks out the top entrepreneurial teams in each investment area
and leverages its core assets in helping the entrepreneurs build their
companies into global leaders. Index Ventures investors include leading
technology firms and institutional investors. To learn more about Index
Ventures visit www.indexventures.com
For more information contact:
ProFibrix
Dr. Jaap Koopman, CEO
Tel: + 31 (0) 6 21628475
Email ; jaapkoopman@planet.nl
Northbank Communications
Adam Michael, Gemma Price. Tony Stephenson, Claire Mosley
Tel: 020 7268 3002
Fax: 020 7268 3102
Email:
ProFibrix@northbankcommunications.com
