Startup biotech lands $20M A round for Ph2 allergy trial

A Swiss startup biotech company has landed a $20 million in Series A funding with the help of a trio of European venture groups. Up to now, Anergis has been fueling its work on an "ultra-fast" birch pollen allergy treatment using its "continguous overlapping peptides" technology. And with the first big round in hand, the Lausanne, Switzerland-based biotech is laying plans to launch a mid-stage study as it plots out a two-year runway.

Three funds led the round: Vinci Capital-Renaissance PME, BioMedInvest and Sunstone. The syndicate was also joined by Esperante, Initiative Capital Romandie and included private investors.

"The proceeds of this financing will cover our financial requirements for the next two years and will allow us to take essential steps for the development of Anergis. In particular, we will now conduct a large Phase II multicenter trial with AllerT, our lead product for patients allergic to birch pollen, and we will speed up the preclinical development of our product portfolio in our new research laboratories," said Vincent Charlon, PhD, CEO of Anergis.

"We see Anergis as a good example of Swiss strengths, bringing together excellent science, an experienced management team, a solid value proposition, a clear execution path and addressing a global unmet medical need," added Patrick Scherrer, a new board member representing Vinci Capital-Renaissance.

- here's the Anergis release

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