Andera Partners, a leading European private equity player, through its practice Andera Life Sciences, focused on investments in companies developing breakthrough therapeutics and medical technologies, announced today that Pfizer Inc. has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Andera Life Sciences’ portfolio company ReViral Ltd.
Under the agreement, ReViral, a privately held, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing, and commercializing novel antiviral therapeutics, with an initial focus on treating respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), will be acquired for a total consideration of up to $525 million, including upfront and development milestones. The proposed transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including receipt of regulatory approvals.
Andera co-led the Series A of $21 million in 2015 and re-invested in the subsequent financing rounds alongside a group of international blue chip investors.
RSV is a respiratory pathogen, which can lead to severe and life-threatening lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) in high-risk populations, including young infants, immunocompromised individuals, and older adults. It is estimated to cause infections in approximately 64 million people, resulting in about 160,000 deaths, globally each year.
ReViral has a portfolio of promising therapeutic candidates, including sisunatovir, an orally administered inhibitor designed to block fusion of the RSV virus to the host cell. Sisunatovir is currently in phase 2 clinical development in infants. A second program is focused on the inhibition of RSV replication targeting the viral N protein. The lead candidate in this program is currently in phase 1 clinical development.
Raphaël Wisniewski, Partner at Andera Life Sciences and member of the board of ReViral commented: “We at Andera Partners are delighted to have backed such a talented team of drug developers in the field of RSV for which treatment options are severely limited. We are extremely proud that the work accomplished to date has been recognized by a world-class leader such as Pfizer, and the development of these important therapeutic products will continue.”
“We are grateful to Andera to have funded and supported us since the early days of the company, alongside a group of leading international investors. Andera has been an exceptional partner to work with on our transformation from an early-stage research company to a clinical-stage organization,” said Alex C. Sapir, CEO, ReViral.
This transaction is the latest of recent M&A transactions in Andera Life Sciences portfolio including the sale of Sanifit to Vifor, the sale of Corvidia to Novo Nordisk, the sale of Arvelle to Angelini. It adds to three recent initial public offerings (Axonics, LogicBio and Nyxoah).