Proceeds will be used, for the most part, to further continue the clinical development of VIASKIN® Peanut, the world’s first epicutaneous skin patch for desensitization of peanut allergy
“There are no safe treatments available for peanut allergy patients.
VIASKIN® will give them the hope of living a normal life. VIASKIN® technology offers a whole new paradigm for the treatment of food allergies.”
Pierre-Henri Benhamou, M.D., CEO.
PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- DBV Technologies, an emerging biotechnology company, announced today that it has secured $25.5 million (€19,4 million) in a Series C financing round. The round was co-led by new investors InnoBio Fund (managed by CDC Entreprises within FSI France Investment program) and Lundbeckfond Ventures. Shire plc and ALTO Invest joined the round together with existing investors Sofinnova Partners and ALK Abello. Aelios Finance advised DBV Technologies on this financing transaction. Total investment in DBV Technologies also includes other investors: Apax Partners, Cap Décisif, and Creagro.
DBV Technologies is the only company in the world whose products are designed to epicutaneously (via a skin patch) deliver allergens for Epicutaneous Immunotherapy (EPIT) against food allergies such as peanut and milk. Allergen-specific immunotherapy is the only strategy that treats the underlying cause of an allergic disorder. DBV’s proprietary epicutaneous patch technology — VIASKIN® — involves maintaining an allergen on the intact skin of an allergic subject for repeated and prolonged periods in order to obtain clinical desensitization to the targeted allergen.
DBV Technologies is making its revolutionary treatment a convenient therapy compatible with pharmaceutical standards. It is worth noting that three new investors are specialized funds with strong ties to leading global pharmaceutical companies; InnoBio is a fund managed by CDC Entreprises and sponsored by the French state sovereign fund FSI and leading pharmaceutical companies (Sanofi Aventis, GSK, Roche, Novartis, Pfizer, Lilly, Ipsen, Takeda and Boehringer-Ingelheim); Lundbeckfond Ventures is the Lundbeck Foundation's life science investment entity under Lundbeckfond Invest (owning 70% of the shares of Lundbeck A/S); Shire is a leading global specialty biopharmaceutical company.
“We are extremely pleased to welcome our new investors—InnoBio, Lundbeckfond Ventures, Shire plc and ALTO Invest—and we also are very happy that Sofinnova and ALK have invested in us once again,” said Pierre-Henri Benhamou, M.D., co-founder and CEO of DBV Technologies. “Since there are no known treatments for food allergies, many children and their families live with the constant fear of ingesting a life-threatening food. VIASKIN is designed to trigger the desired immune response while avoiding the risk of a systemic, life-threatening reaction. The Series C cash infusion will enable us to move forward with this life-saving technology.”
According to the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN), there are 12 million food-allergic people in the U.S., and the incidence of peanut allergy has doubled over the past five years in children.
About VIASKIN® Technology
When the VIASKIN patch containing a specific allergen is applied to the skin of a patient with an IgE-mediated allergy — such as peanuts or milk — the allergens are deposited locally on the skin and are captured specifically by the skin’s immuno-competent cells. This triggers the modulations of the immune responses. The epicutaneous exposure is non-invasive: the skin naturally prevents the allergen from entering the bloodstream and thereby dramatically reduces the risk of inducing anaphylaxis. The VIASKIN patch is designed to be easily and painlessly applied by healthcare professionals and also by the patient or his/her parents at home, which facilitates compliance with the treatment.
About VIASKIN® Peanut Immunotherapy
A phase 1b clinical study of VIASKIN Peanut is underway at five centers in the U.S. — Duke University Medical Center, National Jewish Medical Research Center, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, Philadelphia Children’s Hospital, and Johns Hopkins Asthma and Allergy Center. VIASKIN Peanut’s development is also supported by the NIH-funded Consortium of Food Allergy Research (CoFAR) and other opinion leaders in allergy in the United States.
About DBV Technologies
DBV Technologies is the only company in the world whose products are designed to epicutaneously deliver on intact skin — via an epicutaneous patch — allergens for Epicutaneous Immunotherapy (EPIT) against food allergies. Allergen-specific immunotherapy is the only strategy that treats the underlying cause of an allergic disorder. DBV’s proprietary epicutaneous patch technology — VIASKIN® — involves maintaining an allergen on the skin of an allergic subject for repeated and prolonged periods in order to obtain clinical desensitization.
NOTE: VIASKIN® Peanut is only for investigational use at the moment in the USA and in Europe.
CONTACT:
Ronald Trahan Associates, Inc.
Ronald Trahan, APR, +1 508-359-4005, ext. 108
KEYWORDS: Europe France
INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Health Biotechnology Medical Devices Pharmaceutical Other Health
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