NETRIS PHARMA SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETES A €16.1M SERIES A
December 23rd, 2020 – Geneva – Switzerland and Lyon – France
NETRIS Pharma, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing next generation molecules targeting cancer, today announced the closing of a €16.1m Series A financing and the reinforcement of its Board of Directors. The round was subscribed by historical investors converting their outstanding loans, and joined by New Investors collectively investing €7.5m.
Patrick Mehlen, NETRIS Pharma Founder and CEO, commented “NETRIS Pharma is proud to have achieved major milestones in these highly turbulent times and thank BPDG for its active role in this fundraising process. Further to the signature of a collaboration Agreement with MSD for the coming Phase 1B/2 trial in combination with Pembrolizumab,such funding creates opportunities to accelerate the clinical development plan of NETRIS Pharma in other indications of interest.”
Banque Profil de Gestion (BPDG) acted as the sole advisor for the fundraising process led by Gianpaolo Chiriano, Managing Director and Head of Healthcare & Life Sciences at BPDG, who added: “we are glad to have contributed to the achievement of this milestone for NETRIS Pharma with the hope to impact lives of cancer patients.”
Netris Pharma was founded as a spin-off of Centre Léon Bérard to develop a complete novel approach in oncology based on the biology of dependence receptors. The company, driven by scientific excellence and strong clinical insights, successfully develop NP137 targeting Netrin-1, which exhibited encouraging signs of clinical activity in its Phase 1A trial and extensions.
Netris Pharma will primarily use the proceeds of the Series A to conduct the planned Phase1B /2 clinical trial to investigate the safety and efficacy of NP137 in combination with KEYTRUDA in patients with advanced/metastatic uterine tumors and for general corporate purposes.
About NETRIS Pharma
NETRIS Pharma, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, designs and develops anti-cancer therapeutic molecules, particularly monoclonal antibodies, to block the interaction between dependence receptors and their ligands. NETRIS Pharma, founded in 2008 and based in Lyon, is the first company to progress this innovative approach into the clinic. Further information can be found at: https://www.netrispharma.com
About NP137
NP137, a humanized monoclonal antibody of isotype IgG1 directed against netrin-1, is the first drug candidate developed by NETRIS Pharma. Most types of tumors produce an abnormal amount of dependence receptors’ ligands, which prevents cancer cells from dying. Netrin-1 is up-regulated in a large fraction of human cancers, including over two thirds of gynecologic cancers.
In preclinical studies, NP137 inhibited tumor growth and had a significant impact on tumoral plasticity, which potentiates the efficacy of chemotherapies and immune checkpoint inhibitors. In the phase 1 dose-escalation study, NP137 was found to be safe and very well tolerated up to 20mg/kg, with no dose limiting toxicity (DLT). In addition, patients with advanced uterine cancers exhibited encouraging signs of anti-tumor activity, including prolonged stable disease and objective responses.
The Phase 1b/2 clinical trial will enroll up to 240 patients and be divided into a Ph1b part to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics of the NP137 KEYTRUDA combination and/or chemotherapeutic agents. The Phase 2 part will assess via randomization the clinical activity of the combination in both tumor types.
About Banque Profil de Gestion (BPDG)
Banque Profil de Gestion (BPDG) is a Swiss listed Private Bank based in Geneva. The bank provides M&A Advisory services through its extended international network of investors with a major focus on Healthcare and Life Sciences and other verticals.
