Press Releases

OMEICOS Secures Extension of Series B Financing Round to Expand its Technology into Ophthalmology

Berlin, Germany, and Boston, MA, USA, October 04, 2017

OMEICOS adds REMIGES Ventures as new investor and announces the incorporation of U.S. subsidiary OMEICOS Ophthalmics, Inc.

OMEICOS Therapeutics, a Berlin-based biopharmaceutical company developing first-in-class small molecule therapeutics for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases, today announced that it has secured an extension of its recently closed Series B financing round. The financing by US-based REMIGES Ventures will help to expand the development of OMEICOS’ technology into the field of ophthalmological disorders. The company’s novel technology is based on stable synthetic small molecules which mimic natural highly bioactive lipid mediators derived from omega-3 fatty acids. REMIGES Ventures joins the existing investor consortium including Vesalius Biocapital II S.A. SICAR, a SMS Group company, VC Fonds Technologie Berlin, Hightech Gründerfonds II GmbH & Co. KG (HTGF) and KfW Group. Financial details of the additional investment were not disclosed.

In conjunction with the Series B financing round extension, OMEICOS establishes an US-based subsidiary, OMEICOS Ophthalmics, in Cambridge Massachusetts. The financing allows OMEICOS to expand its proprietary technology into a new field and to test pre-clinically a range of compounds and different routes of administration for different types of eye diseases, like age-related macular degeneration.

“The fact that omega-3 fatty acids play a crucial role in the health and disease of the brain including the retina, and the fact that the improved drug-like properties of our compounds bypass limitations of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation – that’s driving our excitement about this new development opportunity,” said Robert Fischer, Dr. med., CSO and co-founder of OMEICOS. “Our expansion into a new indication and being part of Boston’s vibrant biotech community will provide additional benefits for our Berlin-based startup in terms of expertise, diversity and future patient population.”

Taro Inaba, Founder and Managing Partner at Remiges Ventures will join the Board at OMEICOS. He brings over 25 years of business development and venture investment experience at Remiges Ventures and Mitsui Ventures, a Japan and US based global investment company.

Taro Inaba commented: “We are very pleased to have joined the OMEICOS’ Series B financing round, which allows the company to expand its technology into the new area.  We have a strong belief, based on the recent scientific discoveries, that the OMEICOS’ unique technology opens the door to a new era of treatment in ophthalmology. The entire Remiges team is excited to actively participate in the effort of building the firm’s new operation in the United States.”

About OMEICOS

OMEICOS Therapeutics is a spin-off company from the Max Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) in Berlin. The company has discovered a series of metabolically robust synthetic analogues of omega-3 fatty acid-derived epoxyeicosanoids that have the potential to treat inflammatory, cardiovascular and other diseases. Epoxyeicosanoids, as a newly described class of bioactive lipid mediators, activate cell type-specific endogenous pathways that promote organ and tissue protection. OMEICOS’ small molecules are orally available and show improved biological activity and pharmacokinetic properties compared to their natural counterparts. OMEICOS’ technology is based on ground-breaking scientific results in the field of omega-3 fatty acid metabolism and physiology obtained by the companies’ founders, Dr. Wolf-Hagen Schunck, Prof. John. R. Falck, Prof. Dominik Müller and Dr. Robert Fischer. The companies’ research activities are supported by a grant from the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).  www.omeicos.com

Contact

OMEICOS Therapeutics GmbH
Dr. Robert Fischer, Chief Scientific Officer and Managing Director
Phone: +49 (0) 30 9489 4810
E-Mail: r.fischer@omeicos.com
www.omeicos.com

Media requests

MacDougall Biomedical Communications
Mario Brkulj or Dr. Jacob Verghese
Main: +49 89 2424 3494 or +49 175 501 0575
E-Mail: mbrkulj@macbiocom.com

OMEICOS Secures Continued BMBF Support with New €1.7M Research Grant to Advance its Novel Approach to Treat Cardiovascular Diseases

Berlin, Germany, June 07, 2017

Clinical Trial in Atrial Fibrillation Ongoing as OMEICOS Evaluates Therapeutic Paradigm in Additional Indication Areas

OMEICOS Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company developing first-in-class small molecule therapeutics for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases including atrial fibrillation, today announced the approval of a new grant by the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The grant of approximately €1.7 million covers half of the investment needed to advance an OMEICOS research project with the other half coming from the funds secured in a Series B round from an investor consortium including Vesalius Biocapital II S.A. SICAR, a SMS Group company, VC Fonds Technologie Berlin, Hightech Gründerfonds II GmbH & Co. KG (HTGF), KfW Group and The Falck Revocable Trust, Ascenion GmbH and members of the management team earlier this year. The project will facilitate further research activities into OMEICOS’ novel approach to treat cardiovascular diseases and to explore its potential in other areas of high unmet medical need. With this renewed support from the German government as part of the Ascenion Spinnovator program, OMEICOS has secured so far roughly €4 million non-dilutive funding.

“With the Series B closed earlier this year and continued support by the BMBF, OMEICOS is well positioned to enter the next stage of its corporate development. While clinical development of our lead development candidate OMT-28 advances through the clinic in atrial fibrillation, we will continue exploring  other potential applications of the unique mode of action in other areas within the cardiovascular space and beyond,” commented Dr. Robert Fischer, CSO and co-founder of OMEICOS.

OMEICOS’ lead compound, OMT-28, is a stable synthetic small molecule analog of a natural occurring omega-3 fatty acid metabolite, which has a structure optimized to provide high efficacy, safety and oral bioavailability. OMT-28 has demonstrated anti-arrhythmic and cardioprotective potential in different in vivo models and is currently being evaluated in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 1 study in Germany.

About Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia in humans. AF is characterized by an irregular heart rhythm originating from the heart’s upper chambers, resulting in inefficient blood pumping. AF leads to a significant reduction in quality of life, increases the risk of stroke, raises the risk of heart failure, and doubles the risk of death.

About OMEICOS

OMEICOS Therapeutics is a spin-off company from the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) in Berlin. The company has discovered a series of metabolically robust synthetic analogues of omega-3 fatty acid-derived epoxyeicosanoids, that have the potential to treat inflammatory, cardiovascular, and other diseases. Epoxyeicosanoids as a newly described class of bioactive lipid mediators activate cell type-specific endogenous pathways that promote organ and tissue protection. OMEICOS’ small molecules are orally available and show improved biological activity and pharmacokinetic properties compared to their natural counterparts. OMEICOS’ technology is based on ground-breaking scientific results in the field of omega-3 fatty acid metabolism and physiology obtained by the companies’ founders Drs. Wolf-Hagen Schunck, John. R. Falck, Dominik Müller and Robert Fischer. www.omeicos.com

Contact

OMEICOS Therapeutics GmbH
Dr. Robert Fischer, Chief Scientific Officer and Managing Director
Phone: +49 (0) 30 9489 4810
E-Mail: r.fischer@omeicos.com
www.omeicos.com

Media requests

MacDougall Biomedical Communications
Gretchen Schweitzer or Mario Brkulj
Phone: +49 (0) 89 2423 3494 or +49 175 5010575
E-Mail: mbrkulj@macbiocom.com

OMEICOS Announces First Closing of €8.3 Million Series B Financing Round and the Initiation of Phase 1 Clinical Trial

Berlin, Germany, March 1, 2017

Financing Provides Runway Beyond Completion of First-in-man Trial with Lead Compound OMT-28 for Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation

OMEICOS Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company developing first-in-class small molecule therapeutics for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases, today announced the first closing of a Series B financing round of €8.3 million and the initiation of a Phase 1 clinical trial with lead compound OMT-28 for the treatment of atrial fibrillation. The financing was led by Vesalius Biocapital II S.A. SICAR and SMS Company Group, along with existing investors KFW Group, VC Fonds Technologie Berlin, High-Tech Gründerfonds II GmbH & Co. KG (HTGF), The Falck Revocable Trust, Ascenion GmbH and members of the management team. The funding will be used to support the newly initiated clinical program and to further leverage the therapeutic potential of the technology.

In addition to the financing, OMEICOS today announced the dosing of the first subject in the first-in-human clinical study for its lead candidate, OMT-28. The goal of the study is to evaluate safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of single and multiple ascending doses of OMT-28 in healthy volunteers. The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 1 study is being conducted in a single center in Germany and aims to enroll up to 100 subjects.

“The successful closing of the Series B financing round in combination with the initiation of the first clinical trial with our lead compound, OMT-28, marks the beginning of a new stage of corporate development for OMEICOS,” said Dr. Robert Fischer, CSO and co-founder of OMEICOS. “We are grateful for the ongoing support of our investors and anticipate this financing to fully fund the company throughout the duration of the Phase 1 clinical study, which will set the stage for a swift transition into a subsequent Phase 2 trial.”

“We believe in the potential of OMEICOS’ distinctive small molecules to treat atrial fibrillation and other inflammatory and cardiovascular diseases,” said Vesalius Biocapital’s Dr. Christian Schneider. “We look forward to seeing progress with the Phase 1 clinical trial and are pleased to continue and strengthen our financial investment in the company.”

OMEICOS’ lead compound, OMT-28, is a stable synthetic small molecule analog of the natural omega-3 fatty acid metabolite 17,18-EEQ, which has a structure optimized to provide high efficacy, safety and oral bioavailability. OMT-28 has already proven its anti-arrhythmic and cardioprotective potential in different in vivo experimental models. OMEICOS’ synthetic analogs of omega-3 fatty acid epoxides are currently focused on cardiovascular diseases, although they have the potential to be applied across a wide range of diseases.

More information on the trial (Eudra-CT 2016-003445-28) will be provided via the European Union Clinical Trials Register.

About Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia in humans. More than 30 million patients are affected worldwide and this number is increasing by 2% per year due to the aging population. AF is characterized by an irregular heart rhythm originating from the heart’s upper chambers, resulting in inefficient blood pumping. AF leads to a significant reduction in quality of life, increases the risk of stroke, raises the risk of heart failure and doubles the risk of death. Marketed anti-arrhythmic drugs have limited efficacy and often severe adverse effects, which together with the huge number of affected patients accounts for a high unmet medical need for a safe and efficacious medical treatment of AF.

About OMEICOS

OMEICOS Therapeutics is a spin-off company from the Max Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) in Berlin. The company has discovered a series of metabolically robust synthetic analogues of omega-3 fatty acid-derived epoxyeicosanoids that have the potential to treat inflammatory, cardiovascular and other diseases. Epoxyeicosanoids, as a newly described class of bioactive lipid mediators, activate cell type-specific endogenous pathways that promote organ and tissue protection. OMEICOS’ small molecules are orally available and show improved biological activity and pharmacokinetic properties compared to their natural counterparts. OMEICOS’ technology is based on ground-breaking scientific results in the field of omega-3 fatty acid metabolism and physiology obtained by the companies’ founders, Dr. Wolf-Hagen Schunck, Prof. John. R. Falck, Prof. Dominik Müller and Dr. Robert Fischer. The companies’ research activities are supported by a grant from the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).  www.omeicos.com

Contact

OMEICOS Therapeutics GmbH
Dr. Ulrich Dauer, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director
Dr. Robert Fischer, Chief Scientific Officer and Managing Director
Phone: +49 (0) 30 9489 4810
E-Mail: u.dauer@omeicos.com, r.fischer@omeicos.com
www.omeicos.com

Media requests

MacDougall Biomedical Communications
Gretchen Schweitzer or Mario Brkulj
Phone: +49 (0) 89 2423 3494 or +49 175 5010575
E-Mail: mbrkulj@macbiocom.com

OMEICOS Receives BMBF Research Grant to Advance its Novel Approach to Treat Atrial Fibrillation

Berlin, Germany, November 2, 2015

OMEICOS Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company developing first-in-class small molecule therapeutics for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases including atrial fibrillation, today announced the approval of an approximately €1.7 million grant by the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The grant covers half of the investment needed to advance an OMEICOS’ research project with the other half coming from the funds secured in a Series A round from an investor consortium including Vesalius Biocaptial II S.A. SICAR, a SMS Group company, VC Fonds Technologie Berlin, Hightech Gruenderfonds II GmbH & Co. KG (HTGF) and KfW Group earlier this year. The project will facilitate further research activities into OMEICOS’ novel approach to treat atrial fibrillation using orally available small molecule drug candidates and to explore their potential in other areas of high unmet medical need.

OMEICOS’ novel therapeutic approach is based on the discovery of highly potent synthetic analogues of natural-occurring omega-3 fatty acid metabolites which activate a novel endogenous organ-protective pathway. The drug candidates show beneficial pharmacological activity in preclinical models, including the ability to protect normal sinus rhythm in hearts prone to develop arrhythmia. OMEICOS’ drug candidates are metabolically much more stable than their natural counterparts and have ideal drug-like characteristics. These properties suggest that they can be delivered orally as therapeutics which, together with the novel mode of action, promises a significant improvement in the treatment of patients.

“With this additional funding secured, we feel well positioned to achieve our three main objectives within the 18 months’ project runtime: to complete the preclinical package for our lead development candidate, to extend our research into its unique mode of action and to explore new therapeutic opportunities for our platform technology,” commented Dr. Robert Fischer, CSO and co-founder of OMEICOS.

“This renewed support from the German government further acknowledges the excellent research by OMEICOS’ team and its collaborators and the potential of our novel approach. In combination with the funding received as part of the Ascenion Spinnovator program today’s news brings the total amount of grant money we were able to secure so far to roughly €2.2 million,” Dr. Ulrich Dauer, CEO of OMEICOS added.

About Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia in humans. AF is characterized by an irregular heart rhythm originating from the heart’s upper chambers, resulting in inefficient blood pumping. AF leads to a significant reduction in quality of life, increases the risk of stroke, raises the risk of heart failure, and doubles the risk of death.

About OMEICOS

OMEICOS Therapeutics is a spin-off company from the Max Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) in Berlin. The company has discovered a series of metabolically robust synthetic analogues of omega-3 fatty acid-derived epoxyeicosanoids, that have the potential to treat inflammatory, cardiovascular, and other diseases. Epoxyeicosanoids as a newly described class of bioactive lipid mediators activate cell type-specific endogenous pathways that promote organ and tissue protection. OMEICOS’ small molecules are orally available and show improved biological activity and pharmacokinetic properties compared to their natural counterparts. OMEICOS’ technology is based on ground-breaking scientific results in the field of omega-3 fatty acid metabolism and physiology obtained by the companies’ founders Drs. Wolf-Hagen Schunck, John. R. Falck, Dominik Müller and Robert Fischer. www.omeicos.com

Contact

OMEICOS Therapeutics GmbH
Dr. Ulrich Dauer, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director
Dr. Robert Fischer, Chief Scientific Officer and Managing Director
Phone: +49 (0) 30 9489 4810
E-Mail: u.dauer@omeicos.com , r.fischer@omeicos.com
www.omeicos.com

Media requests

MacDougall Biomedical Communications
Gretchen Schweitzer or Mario Brkulj
Phone: +49 (0) 89 2423 3494 or +49 175 5010575
E-Mail: mbrkulj@macbiocom.com

OMEICOS Therapeutics Raises EUR 6.2 Million in Series A to Advance Lead Candidate in Atrial Fibrillation

Berlin, Germany, April 15, 2015

OMEICOS Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company developing first-in-class small molecule therapeutics for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases including atrial fibrillation (AF), today announced that it has raised EUR 6.2 million in a Series A round. Participating in the round were Vesalius Biocapital II S.A. SICAR, acting as lead; a SMS Group Company; VC Fonds Technologie Berlin; Hightech Gruenderfonds II GmbH & Co. KG (HTGF); and KfW Group. As part of the financing round, the company has received subsidies of EUR 550,000 via Ascenion’s Spinnovator, a grant program supported by the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

“The growing population of AF patients is faced with outdated and extremely limited medical treatment options. Current treatments have insufficient efficacy, risk of severe side effects, and are unable to reduce patient mortality,” said Dr. Robert Fischer, Chief Scientific Officer of OMEICOS Therapeutics. “We are grateful for the recognition from our investors that OMEICOS has the potential to develop truly novel drugs to prevent and treat severe cardiovascular diseases such as AF.”

The company’s novel therapeutic strategy is based on synthetic derivatives of natural metabolites of omega-3 fatty acids that have a strong antiarrhythmic effect. So far, approaches to make omega-3 fatty acids therapeutically effective have not been particularly successful due to the instability of their bioactive metabolites. OMEICOS has managed to overcome this hurdle by developing synthetic molecules that are equally potent as natural metabolites, but much more stable, making them suitable as orally available therapeutics.

Unlike other antiarrhythmic drugs, OMEICOS’ compounds activate an endogenous cardio-protective signaling pathway that stabilizes heart rhythm. In addition, the compounds are expected to provide curative effects to diseased hearts by preventing electrical and structural remodeling, a common cause of heart disease and sudden cardiac death. OMEICOS’ proprietary platform has high potential for further development in additional therapeutic indications in the cardiovascular area as well as in chronic inflammatory diseases.

“With their unique technology and seasoned team of experts, we believe that OMEICOS will fill the existing gap in AF treatment,” added Dr. Christian Schneider of Vesalius Biocapital Partners. “We are happy to support OMEICOS by leading such a strong syndicate of private and public investors and look forward to working with the company to advance its lead candidate through the pre-clinic into clinical development.”

Following the closing of the financing round, Christian Schneider and Gaston Matthyssens of Vesalius Biocapital Partners, Peter Seiler of SMS Group, Ute Mercker of VC Fonds Technologie Berlin, Martin Pfister of Hightech Gruenderfonds II GmbH & Co. KG, and co-founder Wolf-Hagen Schunck have joined the OMEICOS Supervisory Board.

About Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia in humans. AF is characterized by an irregular heart rhythm originating from the heart’s upper chambers, resulting in inefficient blood pumping. AF leads to a significant reduction in quality of life, increases the risk of stroke, raises the risk of heart failure, and doubles the risk of death.

About OMEICOS

OMEICOS Therapeutics is a spin-off company from the Max Delbrueck Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) in Berlin, co-founded and managed by Dr. Robert Fischer (Managing Director) and Dr. Karen Uhlmann. The company is developing oral, first-in-class, small molecules for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases, initially focusing on AF. The company’s novel, small molecule AF therapy is based on proprietary synthetic analogues of omega-3 fatty acid metabolites. The technology was originally discovered and developed by a research team under the supervision of Dr. Wolf Schunck and Dr. Dominik Mueller at MDC and Dr. John R. Falck at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. OMEICOS’ lead candidate is envisioned for oral, once-daily treatment for patients with paroxysmal and persistent AF, with and without structural heart disease, for maintenance of sinus rhythm. www.omeicos.com 

About Vesalius Biocapital Partners

Vesalius Biocapital Partners invests in companies active in human health through venture capital funds raised since 2007. With over EUR 150 million under management in two funds, Vesalius Biocapital Partners plays the role of lead investor in the large majority of its financing rounds. We invest in European life science companies in all stages of development with a sound proprietary technology and corresponding IP, unique team skills and a clear competitive edge based on solid data. Our investment strategy focuses on therapeutics, medical devices, and diagnostics. www.vesaliusbiocapital.com 

About IBB Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH

The IBB Beteiligungsgesellschaft provides venture capital to innovative Berlin enterprises and has established itself as a market leader in the field of early stage financing in the location Berlin. The funds are used primarily for the development and market launch of innovative products or services, as well as for business concepts of creative industries. Currently two of the funds managed by the IBB Beteiligungsgesellschaft are in the investment phase, the VC Fonds Technologie Berlin with a fund size of EUR 60 million and the VC Fonds Kreativwirtschaft Berlin with a fund size of EUR 40 million. Both VC funds are financed by means of the Investitionsbank Berlin (IBB) and the European Fund for Regional Development (EFRE) administered by the State Berlin. Since 1997 the IBB Beteiligungsgesellschaft Berlin, in consortia with partners, has made EUR 1.006 million available to creative and technology-orientated companies; thereof, the portion invested by IBB Beteiligungsgesellschaft itself, as lead, co-lead or co-investor, was approximately EUR 141 million. www.ibb-bet.de

About KfW Group

KfW is one of the world’s leading promotional banks. With its decades of experience, KfW is committed to improving economic, social and ecological living conditions across the globe on behalf of the Federal Republic of Germany and the federal states. To do this, it provided funds totaling EUR 74.1 billion in 2014 alone; and of this, 36 % went into measures for protecting the environment and combating climate change. KfW does not have any branches and does not hold customer deposits. It refinances its promotional business almost entirely through the international capital markets. In 2014 KfW raised EUR 57.4 billion for this purpose. In Germany, the KfW Group is represented in Frankfurt, Berlin, Bonn and Cologne. Its network includes 80 offices and representations around the world. www.kfw.de 

About High-Tech Gruenderfonds (HTGF)

High-Tech Gruenderfonds invests in young, high potential high-tech start-ups. The seed financing provided is designed to enable start-ups to take an idea through prototyping and to market launch. Typically, High-Tech Gruenderfonds invests EUR 500,000 in the seed stage, with the potential for up to a total of EUR 2 million per portfolio company in follow-on financing. Investors in this public/private partnership include the Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy, the KfW Banking Group, as well as strategic corporate investors including ALTANA, BASF, Bayer, B. Braun, Robert Bosch, CEWE, Daimler, Deutsche Post DHL, Deutsche Telekom, Evonik, Lanxess, media + more venture Beteiligungs GmbH & Co. KG, METRO, Qiagen, RWE Innogy, SAP, Tengelmann and Carl Zeiss. High-Tech Gruenderfonds has about EUR 576 million under management in two funds (EUR 272 million HTGF I, EUR 304 million HTGF II).

www.high-tech-gruenderfonds.de 

About Ascenion

Ascenion GmbH is an IP asset management company with particular expertise in the life sciences. Ascenion advises and supports public research institutions in all aspects of technology transfer. The company places particular emphasis on coaching company founders and on active equity management and holds equity in 25 life-science companies. Ascenion is technology transfer partner of 22 research institutes in the Helmholtz and Leibniz Associations, as well as of the Charité, the Hannover Medical School, the research institute TWINCORE and the Universität zu Lübeck. www.ascenion.de 

Contact

OMEICOS Therapeutics GmbH
Dr. Robert Fischer, Chief Scientific Officer and Managing Director
Robert-Rössle-Straße 10
13125 Berlin
Phone: +49 (0) 30 9489 4810
E-Mail: r.fischer@omeicos.com
www.omeicos.com

Media requests

MacDougall Biomedical Communications
Gretchen Schweitzer or Blair Atkinson
Phone: +49 (0) 89 2424 3494 or +49 (0) 151 2348 2513
E-Mail: batkinson@macbiocom.com