Wuppertal, April 14, 2010 – AiCuris, the Wuppertal-based pharmaceutical research and development company specialized on antiviral and antibacterial compounds, has completed its second round of financing by raising 55 Mio Euro (75 Mio US Dollar) from the existing shareholders. “This secures the further development of our pipeline”, comments Prof Helga Rübsamen-Schaeff, CEO of AiCuris, on one of the largest financing rounds in the German biotech industry for several years.
In the last few months, AiCuris has achieved important progress in the development of a new treatment against the Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) a virus, which often leads to complications after organ or bone marrow transplantations and is also a major infectious cause of birth defects and neurological sequels including hearing loss after birth. In a phase II study, efficacy and safety of AIC246 could be demonstrated.
The allocated capital will be used to further push the development of AIC246 and of other projects e.g. against Herpes simplex, HIV, Hepatitis B and C or against multi-resistant bacteria. Main investor is the Santo Holding of Andreas and Thomas Strüngmann, the former owners of the generics company Hexal.
Despite of the additional capital raised, AiCuris is willing to speak with strategic partners from the pharmaceutical industry with the aim to out-license its HCMV programme which comprises three further compounds beyond AIC246. “As a company of our size, we cannot drive forward ten development projects on our own”, says Prof Rübsamen-Schaeff.
About AiCuris AiCuris GmbH & Co KG, a spin-out from Bayer HealthCare, is a privately held company located in Wuppertal, Germany. It is devoted to research and clinical development of novel, resistance-breaking drugs for the treatment of HCMV, Herpes, Hepatitis B, HIV and Hepatitis C as well as resistant Gram positive and Gram negative bacterial infections in hospitals. Furthermore, the portfolio comprises two immune modulators.
Contact: AiCuris GmbH & Co. KG Sandra Wildhagen Friedrich-Ebert-Str. 475/Building 302 42117 Wuppertal
Phone +49 202 317 63 0 Fax +49 202 317 63 1601 E-Mail business@aicuris.com Web www.aicuris.com
