Big Pharma-backed Dutch immuno-oncology player eyes €100M Nasdaq IPO
A Dutch immuno-oncology player that has received venture funding from Johnson & Johnson ($JNJ), Novartis ($NVS) and Pfizer ($PFE) is preparing to list on Nasdaq. The company–Merus–hopes to raise upward of €100 million ($107 million) to advance its pipeline of bispecific IgG antibodies into the clinic and through early-phase trials.
Merus CEO Ton Logtenberg
Utrecht, the Netherlands-based Merus moved its lead candidate–a bispecific antibody with enhanced ADCC (antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity) targeting HER2 and HER3–into a Phase I/II trial in patients with solid tumors earlier this year. A handful of preclinical-stage candidates targeting other types of solid tumors, acute myeloid leukemia and multiple myeloma are following the lead candidate MCLA-128 down the pipeline. J&J Development Corporation saw enough potential in the pipeline to join Novartis Venture Fund and Pfizer Venture Investments in a €31 million Series B extension in 2013.
Now, Het Financieele Dagblad reports Merus is planning to join its compatriots ProQR Therapeutics ($PRQR) and uniQure ($QURE) on Nasdaq. […]