Michael
Vincent, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer, Inflammation &
Immunology Research Unit at Pfizer, to join Vedanta’s Scientific Advisory
Board
PureTech Health plc (LSE: PRTC, NASDAQ: PRTC) (“PureTech” or the
“Company”), a clinical-stage biotherapeutics company dedicated to
discovering, developing and commercializing highly differentiated
medicines for devastating diseases, is pleased to note that its
Founded Entity, Vedanta Biosciences, today announced that Pfizer
Inc. (NYSE: PFE) has made a $25 million investment in Vedanta, as
part of the Pfizer Breakthrough Growth Initiative.
Vedanta intends to use the proceeds to fund a Phase 2 study of
VE202 in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which it plans to
initiate in 2021. Topline Phase 1 study data showed VE202 was
generally safe and well-tolerated at all doses and demonstrated
durable and dose-dependent colonization.
As part of the investment, Michael Vincent, M.D., Ph.D., Chief
Scientific Officer, Inflammation & Immunology Research Unit at
Pfizer, will join Vedanta’s Scientific Advisory Board. Vedanta will
retain control of all its programs and has granted Pfizer a right
of first negotiation on VE202.
The full text of the announcement from Vedanta is as
follows:
Vedanta Biosciences Announces $25 Million
Investment from Pfizer Inc.
Michael
Vincent, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer, Inflammation &
Immunology Research Unit at Pfizer, to join Vedanta’s Scientific Advisory
Board
CAMBRIDGE, MA, January 12, 2021 – Vedanta Biosciences, a
leading clinical-stage company developing a new category of
therapies for immune-mediated diseases based on rationally defined
consortia of human microbiome-derived bacteria, today announced
that Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) has made a $25 million investment in
Vedanta, as part of the Pfizer Breakthrough Growth Initiative.
Vedanta intends to use the proceeds to fund a Phase 2 study of
VE202 in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which it plans to
initiate in 2021. Topline Phase 1 study data showed VE202 was
generally safe and well-tolerated at all doses and demonstrated
durable and dose-dependent colonization.
“We thank Pfizer for its investment in Vedanta and support of
our IBD program and look forward to advancing microbiome modulation
as a potential new treatment modality for IBD patients,” said
Bernat Olle, Ph.D., Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of
Vedanta Biosciences.
“Inflammatory bowel disease has a daily, chronic impact on as
many as 1.6 million Americans, and with cases on the rise in the
U.S., patients urgently need new therapeutic options,” said Michael
Vincent, M.D., Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific
Officer, Inflammation & Immunology Research Unit at Pfizer. “We
believe Vedanta’s approach to modulating the microbiome may hold
promise for people living with IBD, and we are excited for its
potential as this important study moves forward.”
As part of the investment, Dr. Vincent will join Vedanta’s
Scientific Advisory Board. Vedanta will retain control of all its
programs and has granted Pfizer a right of first negotiation on
VE202.
About VE202
VE202 is a first-in-class orally administered investigational
live biotherapeutic product (LBP) consisting of a defined bacterial
consortium. It is produced under GMP conditions from pure, clonal
bacterial cell banks, which yield a standardized drug product in
powdered form and bypasses the need to rely on direct sourcing of
fecal donor material of inconsistent composition. VE202 was
designed to induce immune tolerance via the gut and thereby
potentially treat inflammatory bowel disease. Results describing
the biology and candidate selection of VE202 were previously
published in Science and Nature (multiple).
About Vedanta Biosciences
Vedanta Biosciences is leading the development of a potential
new category of oral therapies based on rationally defined
consortia of bacteria derived from the human microbiome. The
company’s clinical-stage pipeline includes product candidates being
evaluated for the treatment of high-risk C. difficile infection,
inflammatory bowel diseases, advanced or metastatic cancers, and
food allergy. These investigational therapies are grounded in
pioneering research – published in leading journals including
Science, Nature, and Cell – to identify beneficial bacteria that
live symbiotically within the healthy human gut, fight pathogens
and induce a range of potent immune responses. Vedanta Biosciences
controls a foundational portfolio of more than 40 patents and has
built what is believed to be the world’s biggest library of
bacteria derived from the human microbiome. Proprietary
capabilities include deep expertise in consortium design, vast
datasets from human interventional studies and cGMP-compliant
manufacturing of oral live biotherapeutics containing pure,
clonally derived bacterial consortia in powdered form. Vedanta
Biosciences was founded by PureTech Health (LSE: PRTC, Nasdaq:
PRTC) and a global team of scientific co-founders who pioneered
Vedanta’s modern understanding of the cross-talk between the
microbiome and the immune system.
About PureTech Health
PureTech is a clinical-stage biotherapeutics company dedicated
to discovering, developing and commercializing highly
differentiated medicines for devastating diseases, including
intractable cancers, lymphatic and gastrointestinal diseases,
central nervous system disorders and inflammatory and immunological
diseases, among others. The Company has created a broad and deep
pipeline through the expertise of its experienced research and
development team and its extensive network of scientists,
clinicians and industry leaders. This pipeline, which is being
advanced both internally and through PureTech’s Founded Entities,
as of the date of PureTech’s most recently filed Registration
Statement on Form 20-F, was comprised of 24 products and product
candidates, including two that have received FDA clearance and
European marketing authorization. All of the underlying programs
and platforms that resulted in this pipeline of product candidates
were initially identified or discovered and then advanced by the
PureTech team through key validation points based on the Company’s
unique insights into the biology of the brain, immune and gut, or
BIG, systems and the interface between those systems, referred to
as the BIG Axis.
For more information, visit www.puretechhealth.com or connect
with us on Twitter @puretechh.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains statements that are or may be
forward-looking statements, including statements that relate to our
product candidates and approach towards addressing major diseases,
future prospects, developments, and strategies. The forward-looking
statements are based on current expectations and are subject to
known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual
results, performance and achievements to differ materially from
current expectations, including, but not limited to, our
expectations regarding the use of the investment and potential
therapeutic benefits of VE202 and those risks and uncertainties
described in the risk factors included in the regulatory filings
for PureTech Health plc. These forward-looking statements are based
on assumptions regarding the present and future business strategies
of the company and the environment in which it will operate in the
future. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as at the date
of this press release. Except as required by law and regulatory
requirements, neither the company nor any other party intends to
update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a
result of new information, future events or otherwise.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210112005297/en/
Investors Allison Mead Talbot +1 617 651 3156
amt@puretechhealth.com
U.S. media Stephanie Simon +1 617 581 9333
stephanie@tenbridgecommunications.com
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