French biopharmaceutical company, Genfit, acquires Versantis
We are delighted to inform that Genfit (a Nasdaq-listed French biopharmaceutical company) has publicly announced today its intention to acquire Redalpine portfolio company Versantis (RAC III), subject to workers council approval. Deal terms include an upfront payment of CHF 40m, another CHF 65m in milestone payments, and one-third of the proceeds from a potential sale of a Priority Review Voucher. Together both companies will combine forces and continue to revolutionize care of patients with acquired and genetic liver diseases, such as acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF).
As a late stage clinical biotech with decades of experience in liver diseases, Genfit adds valuable know how in R&D and clinical development as well as solid financial resources to accelerate the clinical development of Versantis’ lead candidate VS-01, a first-in-class treatment for ACLF, as well as advance the rest of Versantis’ product portfolio. On the other hand, Versantis’ product portfolio fits perfectly within Genfit’s strategic vision of becoming a global leader in ACLF.
Pascal Prigent, Chief Executive Officer of Genfit, commented: “Versantis has an exciting portfolio that is complementary to Genfit’s. We are also thrilled to welcome a talented team that has developed a strong scientific expertise in ACLF. We believe that significant synergies exist and that this acquisition will accelerate the development of several promising drug candidates in areas of high unmet needs.”
Vincent Forster, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer and Meriam Kabbaj, PhD, Chief Operations Officer, both Board Members and Co-founders of Versantis, concluded: “We are enthusiastic to be part of Genfit, considering their experience in exploring severe and underserved conditions. We think that Genfit’s knowledge and experience in the development of programs targeting complex liver diseases will be invaluable to accelerate and maximize the probability of success of our programs. We also are excited by the new opportunities offered by Genfit’s research capabilities.”
We congratulate Vincent and Meriam, and the entire Versantis team for this major achievement and wish them all the best on their future endeavors.