BioVersys AG, a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing antibacterial products, has announced a strategic investment of US$6 million from Guangzhou Sino-Israel Bio-Industry Investment Fund 2 LLP (GIBF). This investment will support the clinical development of BioVersys' lead asset, BV100, in China, targeting infections caused by multi-drug resistant bacteria.
The investment aligns with BioVersys' strategy to address the significant unmet medical need in China, where Carbapenem-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) infections are a growing concern. Resistance rates have increased from 32-41% in 2005 to over 75% in 2018, leading to high mortality rates in intensive care units (ICUs).
BV100 Clinical Development Plan
To integrate China into BioVersys’ global Phase 3 clinical trial, a Phase 1 study will be conducted in healthy volunteers in China, expected to begin in the first half of 2025. This study will evaluate the safety and pharmacokinetic profile of BV100 in the Chinese population. Following the Phase 1 trial, Chinese patients will be included in the planned global Phase 3 registrational study.
Executive Perspectives
"We are very pleased to announce this new strategic partnership with the highly regarded investment firm GIBF, which will serve to further expedite the clinical development of our lead asset BV100 in China," said Dr. Marc Gitzinger, Chief Executive Officer and founder of BioVersys. "We have long recognized the huge potential of the market there, and with BV100 having already demonstrated significant potential to become an essential anti-infective treatment, we look forward to getting our clinical evaluation in China underway and to bringing BV100 to patients in need as soon as possible both in China and other markets."
Dr. Shuki Gleitman, Founding Partner and Chairman of the Guangzhou-Israel Biotechnology Fund, stated, "Resistance to antibiotics has become a leading cause of death and BV100 has started generating impressive clinical data, which we believe will make it a key asset in the treatment armamentarium of hospitals in China and around the world. We look forward to supporting BioVersys in its efforts to develop innovative anti-infective treatments in China."
