UniQure, a Netherlands-based gene therapy company, has received €14m ($18m) in equity financing from Chiesi Famaceutici, an Italy-based therapeutics and specialist medicine company. The investment by Chiesi results in the conversion into new UniQure shares of €14.1m ($18.1m) in convertible debt which UniQure recently raised from private equity firm Coller Capital and existing financial investors including Forbion Capital Partners, Gilde Healthcare Partners, Lupus Alpha and Grupo Netco.
The equity financing transaction, together with €17m ($21.8m) in collaboration financing from Chiesi Famaceutici, supports a collaboration agreement between Chiesi and UniQure for the commercialization of Glybera, an EU-approved gene therapy for the treatment of the orphan disease lipoprotein lipase deficiency, as well as the co-development of a gene therapy for hemophilia B.
Jörn Aldag, chief executive officer of UniQure, said: “The agreement with Chiesi is a key component of our strategy to rapidly develop and commercialize multiple gene therapy based treatments as well as being a validation of our technology platform.”