EuBiologics invests additional $10m in US joint venture, raises stake to 80%

Vaccine specialist EuBiologics has invested an additional $10 million in its US joint venture EuPOP Life Sciences, raising its ownership stake to 80 percent.

EuBiologics said Thursday it acquired 8,750 new shares in EuPOP Life Sciences through a third-party rights offering. Once the transaction is complete, EuBiologics will hold a total of 15,000 shares in the joint venture, bringing its stake to 80 percent.

EuPOP Life Sciences is a US-based joint venture co-founded by EuBiologics and American biotech firm POP Biotechnologies. The company is developing next-generation premium vaccines by combining EuBiologics' immune-enhancement platform technology EuIMT with POP Biotechnologies' nanoparticle-based antigen-delivery technology SNAP. Co-founder POP Biotechnologies has conducted research with the US National Institutes of Health and recently secured up to $9.7 million in clinical support funding from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, validating its technological capabilities.

EuBiologics said the investment will significantly strengthen its control over EuPOP Life Sciences and accelerate global clinical trials across its premium vaccine pipeline. EuPOP Life Sciences has already filed an investigational new drug application for a Phase 1 trial of an Alzheimer's treatment vaccine, and is simultaneously advancing a shingles vaccine toward subsequent clinical stages while developing a respiratory syncytial virus vaccine.

The investment reflects EuBiologics' strategy to transform its US joint venture into a full-fledged global research and development base, positioning itself to directly capture returns from technology transfers and commercialization of high-value premium vaccines. EuBiologics currently maintains a stable sales base centered on public-sector vaccines.

EuBiologics plans to develop EuPOP Life Sciences into a hub for global clinical trials and business development, pursuing technology transfers, co-development agreements and follow-on investment from multinational pharmaceutical companies in sequence, with a long-term goal of a NASDAQ listing.

"This investment is a measure to strengthen the global competitiveness of the premium vaccines EuPOP Life Sciences is developing and to accelerate their commercialization," a company official said. "We will continue to enhance corporate value by connecting the clinical results of the EuIMT and SNAP-based pipeline to global technology transfers and commercialization."