Biotechnology company Dezima Pharma has secured €14.2m ($18.6m) for the development of its cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) inhibitor, DEZ-001(previously TA-8995).
The company received €9.8m capital in a Series A funding round, led by Forbion Capital Partners (NL) and BioGeneration Ventures (NL), with participation from New Science Ventures (USA) and €4.4m loan (Innovation Credit) from Agentschap NL, an agency of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs.
The company will also use the capital to develop additional earlier-stage dyslipidemia assets.
Forbion Capital Partners senior analyst Marco Boorsma said, "Our investment in Dezima Pharma underlies our commitment to advance innovative therapies, such as Dezima's first product the CETP inhibitor DEZ-001, potentially providing a solution for the unmet need of millions of dyslipidemic patients worldwide that are at risk of cardiovascular disease."
Dezima interim CEO and Forbion Capital Partners general partner Sander van Deventer said, "We believe that the combined lowering of LDL cholesterol and the unprecedented reduction of LP(a) make DEZ-001 the best in class CETP inhibitor."
Dezima announced that Marco Boorsma of Forbion Capital Partners, Somu Subramaniam of New Science Ventures, and Wil Hazenberg of BioGeneration Ventures will join the Board of Directors of the company.
