The transaction further strengthens CSAM’s leadership in the Nordic niche eHealth market

OSLO, Norway (March 12th, 2018) –CSAM announced today that it has signed an agreement to acquire Arcid –a Norwegian eHealth company that focuses on information flow in the tele radiology domain.

Arcid provides eHealth solutions that improve workflows and simplify the interaction between healthcare professionals. Among the company’s best-known products are TRIS, a Radiology Information System;Arcidis, a teleradiology information solution;and HelseMail, a Software as Service (SaaS) communication platform that enables theencrypted transferof large, high volume, and sensitive patient information.

-The combination of CSAM and Arcid will create an innovative and comprehensive offering in the medical imaging and connected health markets, enabling us to better serve clinicians and patients, said Sverre Flatby, CSAM CEO. –Arcid has an impressive reputation for delivering efficiency, quality, and exceptional patient care with their niche software solutions, and we are pleased they have entrusted CSAM to carry on that tradition of excellence.

-I am confident that CSAM is the right home for Arcid’s team in this exciting growth period to come, said Kåre-Bjørn Kongsnes, business developer and majority shareholder of Arcid. –Integrating our highly competent team of people with CSAM, the leading Nordic niche player within eHealth, strengthens this viable and powerful position.

The acquisition of Arcid is consistent with CSAM’s strategy to pursue growth through a combination of strategic M&As and organic sales. The transaction is estimated to close before the end of the month.

-Arcid’s products are an important complement to CSAM’s software solutions in the medical imaging and connected healthcare domains, strengthening our leadership in these key market segments, said Flatby. -The mixture of our customers, code and competencies will allow us to provide even greater value to customers across both public and private healthcare organisations.

CSAM has been a leading provider of medical imaging and connected healthcare solutions in the Nordics for more than a decade.The company works closely with healthcare professionals and organisations to develop software solutions that deliver the highest value for their operations.

About CSAM

CSAM has established itself as a leading Nordic niche player in the specialised eHealth marketwith a unique blend of best-in-class innovative technology, and outstanding human skills. The company’s diverse portfolio of software solutions enables healthcare providers to access relevant clinical information at the point of care. CSAM’scommercialheadquarters are located in Oslo, Norway. In addition to the new offices in Tromsø, the companyalso has local offices in Stockholm, Karlstad, Gothenburg, Helsinki, Oulu, Tampere, and Warwickshire, as well as a wholly owned software engineering subsidiary in the Philippines.

A privately-owned company backed by strong financial partners, CSAM aspires to achieve continued growth both organically and through selected mergers and acquisitions. For more information, visit www.csamhealth.com.

For more information, please contact:

Sverre Flatby, CEOJennifer Goode, Communications Directorsverre.flatby@csamhealth.comjennifer.goode@csamhealth.com+47 9159 9159+1-705-760-0782Kåre-Bjørn Kongsnes, Business Developerkb@kongsnes.no+47 900 11 040

Gilde Healthcare’s investment allows Eetgemak to realize new growth plans, including expansion into Belgium

Utrecht and Frankfurt – Gilde Healthcare, the European specialist investor in healthcare, acquires a majority stake in Eetgemak from stock listed investment firm Value8. The acquisition is the first investment in Gilde Healthcare’s new €200 million private equity fund focused on the healthcare industry. Katwijk based Eetgemak is the market leader in chilled meals for Dutch healthcare institutions. With Gilde as a new investor, Eetgemak will further expand its market position by growing in both existing as well as new markets, like Belgium.

Doctors and dietitians increasingly recognize the importance of tasty, healthy food that meets the patient’s wishes in the healing process. At the same time, there is a constant pressure on healthcare institutions to work more efficiently and to provide better care with less staff. With an assortment of thousands of different chilled meals, Eetgemak offers hospitals, care institutions and people at home healthy meals at low prices. Moreover, through its scale and expertise, Eetgemak is able to cater to the many types of dietary needs of patients and residents in care institutions.

The investment in Eetgemak fits well in Gilde Healthcare’s new private equity fund: “We look for companies that contribute to the improvement of care. Moreover, we actively contribute to the development of our portfolio companies through our specific knowledge and experience in the healthcare industry. We are very excited about Eetgemak’s growth opportunities and look forward to a productive collaboration,” says Hugo de Bruin, partner at Gilde Healthcare.

“Gilde’s investment enables us to execute our growth strategy, not only in the Netherlands, but also across the border in Belgium. In addition to accelerating organic growth, we are also interested in new partnerships and potential acquisitions,” says Leo van der Krogt, CEO at Eetgemak.

About Eetgemak

Eetgemak prepares chilled meals for hospitals, home care organizations, care centers, nursing homes, expertise centers, service apartments, living communities, restaurants, caterers, schools and daycare centers. Professional chefs prepare a wide range of seasonal dishes with great pleasure every day. Our motto is ‘everyone joins for dinner’. Whether it’s preference, meal type, consistency or diet; taste and quality are always paramount. Everyone deserves a healthy, fresh and tasty meal. This is why every day we cook fresh and healthy meals with the best ingredients. https://www.eetgemak.nl

About Gilde Healthcare

Gilde Healthcare is a specialized European healthcare investor managing €1 billion across two fund strategies: private equity and venture & growth capital. Gilde Healthcare’s private equity fund invests in profitable European lower mid-market healthcare companies including healthcare providers, suppliers of medical products and service providers, with a primary focus on the Benelux and DACH regions. Gilde Healthcare’s venture & growth fund is focused on fast growing health tech and therapeutics companies based in Europe and North America. https://gildehealthcare.com

Media Contacts

Gilde Healthcare

Hugo de Bruin
Partner
Newtonlaan 91
3584BP Utrecht
The Netherlands
debruin@gildehealthcare.com
+31 (0)30 219 2565

Eetgemak

Leo van der Krogt
CEO
Taanderstraat 9a
2222 BG Katwijk
The Netherlands
leo@eetgemak.nl
+31 (0)71 408 4140

Utrecht, The Netherlands and Boston, US – Calypso Biotech (Amsterdam, The Netherlands), an emerging leader in the development of therapeutic antibodies for autoimmune diseases, announces today the closing of a €20M Series A financing led by Gilde Healthcare and Inkef Capital. They are joined by Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC, Inc. (JJDC), and the company’s founding investor M Ventures. Further, Calypso Biotech has become Resident Company at Johnson & Johnson Innovation JLABS at Beerse in Belgium (JLABS@BE). Arthur Franken from Gilde Healthcare will join the Board of Directors.

The proceeds from this financing round will support the development of Calypso Biotech’s best-in class anti-Interleukin-15 (IL-15) antibody CALY-002 up to First-in-Patient studies in several autoimmune indications. IL-15 is an immune checkpoint cytokine that controls inflammation as well as multiple tissue-resident immune cells and recently attracted much attention in the immune-oncology space. Especially, IL-15 is being recognized as a key factor in the survival of tissue resident memory T cells, a population of immune cells involved in disease maintenance and recurrence. Calypso Biotech scientists believe that targeting tissue resident memory T cells offers significant advantages over traditional cytokine interventional approaches and could provide for unprecedented disease-modifying effects.

Calypso Biotech has chosen to develop CALY-002 in Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE) as well as in other undisclosed auto-immune indications. EoE is a severe and debilitating immune-related chronic disease of the esophagus that is the second leading cause of dysphagia (difficulty in swallowing) in adults. EoE has emerged as a frequent and significant cause of upper gastrointestinal morbidity particularly associated with important quality of life impairment and significant financial healthcare burden. CALY-002 has secured Orphan Drug Designation status from the European Medicines and Food & Drug Administration agencies for EoE.

Calypso Biotech is also announcing major strengthening of its team. Bernard Coulie, current president and CEO of Pliant Therapeutics, will be appointed as independent Chairman of the Board. Together with Alexandre LeBeaut, Executive Vice-President and CSO of Ipsen and current independent Director of Calypso Biotech, they will contribute to develop its strategic vision and corporate success. Prof. Bart Lambrecht, from the VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research (Belgium), a leading translational immunology expert, will join Calypso Biotech Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Josephin-Beate Holz (ex Ablynx NV), Dr Greg Elson (ex Glenmark, Novimmune), Dr Susana Salgado (ex Novimmune), and Duc Tran (ex Prexton Therepeutics, Preglem, Pfizer) will join as medical, manufacturing, non-clinical development and strategic planning advisors, respectively.

About Calypso Biotech BV
Calypso Biotech BV is a private biotechnology company focused on the research and
development of novel biologics to address unmet medical need in immunological diseases, especially gastrointestinal indications. Calypso Biotech was established in 2013 as a spin-off by the healthcare business of Merck founded by Alain Vicari, Yolande Chvatchko and M Ventures, and is headquartered in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Calypso is led by a team with strong experience and track record in translational immunology and the development of biologics, supported by an advisory board of clinical experts. For more information www.calypsobiotech.com

About Gilde Healthcare
Gilde Healthcare is a specialized European healthcare investor managing €1 billion ($1.2 billion) across two fund strategies: venture & growth capital and private equity. Gilde Healthcare’s venture & growth capital fund invests in health tech and therapeutics. The venture & growth companies are based in Europe and North America. Gilde Healthcare’s private equity fund invests in profitable European lower mid-market healthcare companies with a focus on the Benelux and DACH region. The private equity fund targets healthcare providers, suppliers of medical products and service providers in the healthcare market.
For more information www.gildehealthcare.com

IRVINE, CA – Axonics Modulation Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AXNX) a medical technology company focused on the development and commercialization of novel implantable Sacral Neuromodulation (“SNM”) devices for the treatment of urinary and bowel dysfunction, reported today financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2018, and provided an update on operational initiatives.

Recent Business Highlights

• In Q4, commercial sales of the miniaturized rechargeable Axonics r-SNM® System totaled $0.5 million.
• On February 11, filed full-body magnetic resonance imaging (“MRI”) data with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) seeking conditional labeling for the miniaturized rechargeable Axonics r-SNM System.
• On February 19, disclosed top-line six-month clinical results on the full cohort of patients for the ARTISAN-SNM pivotal clinical study of the Axonics r-SNM System which indicated 90% of all implanted subjects met the efficacy endpoint and that the study met all primary and secondary endpoints.
• On February 21, filed a detailed six-month clinical study report with the FDA on the results of the ARTISAN-SNM pivotal clinical study.
• On February 22, announced CE Mark approval for full-body MRI conditional labeling in Europe for the Axonics r-SNM System, making the Axonics system the first SNM device that allows a safe full-body MRI scan while implanted.
• On March 4, appointed Michael H. Carrel to the Board of Directors.

Raymond W. Cohen, CEO of Axonics, commented, “We view the generation of $0.5 million of revenue in the fourth quarter, serving a handful of customers with a small team of sales professionals, to be a harbinger of things to come. We are seeking measurable market share gains in 2019 from our two primary markets in Europe, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. The accounts we have secured in these markets are exceeding our expectations in terms of the percentage of SNM implants using the Axonics system. Moreover, we now have the only SNM device with full-body MRI labeling, an advantage that should aid us in gaining further traction.”

Cohen continued, “Our primary focus continues to be gaining FDA approval in the shortest possible timeframe. To that end, and based on interaction with the FDA, we determined our best course of action was to further enrich our current literature-based PMA with the full cohort of ARTISAN-SNM study data as well as the full-body MRI data. As we advance our regulatory strategy, we continue to press forward on our initiative to be fully prepared to execute a broad, fully staffed U.S. launch upon FDA approval. We are building a world-class team and have been pleased that many experienced neuromodulation and urology professionals view Axonics as an attractive place to work that represents an exciting career opportunity. Overall, we are making excellent progress on our key operational objectives.”

Fourth Quarter 2018 Financial Results

Net revenue was $0.5 million in the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2018, derived from the sale of the Company’s r-SNM Systems to customers in Europe and Canada, as compared to no net revenue for the same period of last year.

Gross margin was 50.4% in the fourth quarter of 2018.

Operating expense was $9.7 million for the fourth quarter of 2018, as compared to $4.9 million in the prior-year quarter. This increase was primarily due to higher personnel costs across the organization as well as the costs of operating as a public company.

Net loss for the fourth quarter of 2018 was $9.7 million as compared to $4.9 million in the prior-year quarter. Net loss per share for the fourth quarter of 2018 was $0.50 per share.

As of December 31, 2018, cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments were $157.5 million.

Dan L. Dearen, Axonics President and CFO, said, “We have been actively hiring commercial, operations, regulatory, and quality personnel to ensure we execute on our strategy of fielding a full complement of sales and marketing professionals with sufficient inventory on hand to support a U.S. launch upon FDA approval. To date, we have hired 60 well-qualified sales professionals, 11 regional sales directors and 12 clinical specialists, putting us ahead of schedule and in a good position with the build out of our team and its ability to execute if the approval were to come before our initial projection. The accelerated costs associated with that shift puts us in the best position to achieve our commercial goals when approved.”

Full Year 2018 Financial Results

Net revenue was $0.7 million in fiscal year 2018, derived from the sale of the Company’s r-SNM Systems to customers in Europe and Canada, as compared to $0.1 million in fiscal year 2017.

Gross margin was 49.7% in fiscal year 2018, compared to 7.9% gross margin in fiscal year 2017. The increase in gross margin is primarily due to country and product mix.

Operating expense was $32.5 million in fiscal year 2018, as compared to $18.2 million in fiscal year 2017. This increase was primarily due to increases in personnel, regulatory submissions and clinical development, contract fabrication and manufacturing, and legal costs.

Net loss for the year was $32.5 million as compared to $18.1 million in the prior year. Net loss per share for fiscal year 2018 was $4.64 per share.

Webcast and Conference Call

Today, on Tuesday, March 5, 2019, at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time, the Company will host a conference call with the investment community to discuss the financial results and recent business developments.
Interested parties may access the live call via telephone by dialing (866) 687-5771 (U.S.) or (409) 217-8725 (International) and using conference ID 3386378.

A live webcast of the call may be accessed by visiting the Events & Presentations page of the investors section of the Company’s website at ir.axonicsmodulation.com. A replay of the webcast will be available shortly after the conclusion of the call and will be archived on the Company’s website for 90 days.
About Axonics Modulation Technologies, Inc.

Axonics, based in Irvine, CA, is focused on the development and commercialization of novel implantable Sacral Neuromodulation devices for patients with urinary and bowel dysfunction. Overactive bladder affects an estimated 87 million adults in the U.S. and Europe. Another estimated 40 million adults are reported to suffer from fecal incontinence. SNM therapy is a well-established treatment that has been widely used and reimbursed in Europe and the U.S. for the past two decades. The Axonics r-SNM System is the first rechargeable Sacral Neuromodulation system approved for sale in Europe, Canada and Australia, and the first SNM system to gain CE mark for full-body MRI conditional labeling. Premarket Approval (PMA) for the r-SNM System is currently pending with the U.S. FDA. For more information, visit the Company’s website at www.axonicsmodulation.com.

Forward Looking Statements

Statements made in this press release that relate to future plans, events, prospects or performance are forward-looking statements as defined under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “planned,” “expects,” “believes,” “anticipates,” “designed,” and similar words are intended to identify forward-looking statements. While these forward-looking statements are based on the current expectations and beliefs of management, such forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the expectations expressed in this press release, including the risks and uncertainties disclosed in Axonics filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, all of which are available online at www.sec.gov. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. Except as required by law, Axonics undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect new information, changed circumstances or unanticipated events.

Contacts:

Axonics’ Contact

Axonics Modulation Technologies, Inc.
Dan Dearen, +1-949-396-6320
President & Chief Financial Officer
ir@axonics.com

Investor & Media Contact

W2Opure
Matt Clawson, +1-949-370-8500
mclawson@w2ogroup.com

BrightSpring merges with PharMerica to form leading provider of health and pharmacy services

LOUISVILLE, Ky.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Global investment firm KKR and BrightSpring Health Services (“BrightSpring”), one of the largest home and community-based health services providers, announced today that KKR has closed on its acquisition of BrightSpring. As part of this transaction, BrightSpring has merged with PharMerica Corporation (“PharMerica”) to now become a leading provider of both home and community-based health and pharmacy services for high-need and medically complex populations.

The strategic combination of BrightSpring and PharMerica creates a uniquely positioned, diversified health care platform with comprehensive care capabilities across clinical, pharmacy, and non-clinical support services in multiple care settings. Upon close, the combined company will serve over 300,000 clients daily in 47 states, Puerto Rico and Canada with combined revenue of approximately $4.5 billion.

“Today marks the start of a new and exciting chapter for BrightSpring and PharMerica. We look forward to working with the team on the combined company’s next phase of growth and development,” said KKR member Max Lin.

“Combining BrightSpring and PharMerica brings together two well-respected, high quality and innovative leaders within their markets. Together, we will have unmatched capabilities to drive improved outcomes and reduced costs through integrated service and care models for all of the people and stakeholders we serve. Through the combination of our community-based health services and pharmacy capabilities, our complementary offerings will have valuable benefits to our clients, patients and customers and provide new opportunities together,” said Jon Rousseau, President and Chief Executive Officer of BrightSpring and Chief Executive Officer of PharMerica.

With the combined enterprise led by Rousseau as CEO, Bob Dries has been named the President of PharMerica as part of the combination. “Greater independence, improved health outcomes and reduced hospitalizations all depend on three things to be present – non-clinical support services, daily medication optimization and clinical monitoring and interventions when required, which is what we are focused on providing to deliver value as a combined company,” said Dries. “With PharMerica, we provide industry leading medication availability, cost containment results, and clinical, regulatory and education support for our customers and their residents and patients – through our proprietary programs and systems,” he added.

BrightSpring and PharMerica will continue to support all operations from Louisville, Kentucky, where both businesses are headquartered, and anticipate many benefits to its customers and people served from its scale and scope of integrated services. The combined organization will continue to take a local and customized approach when serving its behavioral, senior and specialty populations in the community, as well as offering differentiated capabilities and a unique set of comprehensive offerings to the skilled nursing, senior living, hospital, behavioral provider, and home infusion and specialty clinic customers that it serves. The increased breadth of the company’s services and its proximity in serving complex populations, which are most often significant polypharmacy populations, will provide added solutions and opportunities for working with Medicare, states and other payers to improve outcomes and lower costs.

Under the terms of the deal originally announced on Dec. 10, 2018, KKR has purchased BrightSpring for approximately $1.32 billion with an affiliate of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. as a minority investor. KKR is making the investment from KKR’s Americas XII Fund.

About BrightSpring

BrightSpring Health Services is the parent company of a family of brands and services that provides clinical, nonclinical and pharmacy and other ancillary care services for people of all ages, health and skill levels across home and community settings. BrightSpring is one of the largest providers of diversified home and community-based health services to complex, high-cost populations. Its primary businesses include: behavioral health (including autism services), home health care (including personal care, home health, and hospice), neuro therapy, and job placement and vocational training, supported by pharmacy and telecare ancillary technologies and services. These businesses employ over 45,000 dedicated team members in more than 40 states and provide services to over 2 million people annually.

BrightSpring Health Services is focused on providing quality and lower-cost outcomes to challenging and high-cost populations, through best-in-class services and technology innovation. Its Connected Home care model is becoming an industry-leading approach to the future of health care services to achieve strong quality and compliance while also driving efficiency and cutting waste. The company’s care professionals work in thousands of communities across the United States providing critically needed daily support services, as well as clinical and pharmacy health services, in community settings. Founded and headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, BrightSpring has been making a difference in people’s lives and communities since 1974 – helping people live their best life. For more information, visit www.BrightSpringHealth.com.

About PharMerica

PharMerica Corporation is a leading provider of institutional and community-based pharmacy services. The company serves the long-term care, senior living, hospital, home infusion, behavioral, specialty and oncology pharmacy markets. Today, PharMerica operates 96 institutional pharmacies, 20 specialty home infusion pharmacies and five specialty oncology pharmacies in 45 states. PharMerica is a customer service and patient-focused organization serving institutional healthcare providers, such as skilled nursing facilities, senior living communities, hospitals, behavioral and seniors individuals receiving in-home care, and patients with cancer. The company provides highly reliable and accurate medication delivery and support services to approximately 250,000 individuals a day with unmatched service reliability, cost containment, and clinical, regulatory and educational support for its clients and their residents and patients. For more information visit www.PharMerica.com.

About KKR

KKR is a leading global investment firm that manages multiple alternative asset classes, including private equity, energy, infrastructure, real estate and credit, with strategic partners that manage hedge funds. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns for its fund investors by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people, and driving growth and value creation with KKR portfolio companies. KKR invests its own capital alongside the capital it manages for fund investors and provides financing solutions and investment opportunities through its capital markets business. References to KKR’s investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds. For additional information about KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE: KKR), please visit KKR’s website at www.kkr.com and on Twitter @KKR_C.

Contacts
KKR Americas
Kristi Huller
+1 212-750-8300
Media@KKR.com

BrightSpring / PharMerica
Barnard Baker
+1 502-630-7254
Barnard.Baker@BrightSpringHealth.com

On March 1, 2019, Segulah IV L.P. and minority shareholders signed an agreement to divest 100% of CCS Healthcare Holding AB to KiiltoClean Group. KiiltoClean Group is a part of Kiilto, a family-owned Finnish company that develops, manufactures and markets chemical industry solutions and operates in four business areas: construction, industrial bonding and hygiene solutions, professional cleanliness and hygiene and consumer products. The transaction was simultaneously carried through.

CCS Healthcare provides hygiene and safety products to the professional business-to-business markets and holds the leading position within hand hygiene and surface disinfection products in the Nordic region. Additionally, the Company holds a strong position within portable eyewash products in Denmark and Germany.

CCS Healthcare was acquired by Segulah IV in May 2011. During Segulah IV’s ownership, CCS Healthcare has completed four add-on acquisitions, mainly within the hygiene product segment. In March 2016, CCS Healthcare divested its pharma portfolio and Clinomyn brand to Trimb Healthcare. The Consumer Skincare business unit was divested through two separate transactions in January 2019. The skincare brand portfolio was acquired by Trimb Healthcare and the factory and contract manufacturing activities in Sweden were acquired by Svenska Krämfabriken. Pro forma for the Consumer Skincare divestment, CCS Healthcare generated revenues of ca. MSEK 440 in 2018.

“CCS Healthcare has in recent years significantly transformed its operations and showed good profitable growth. Following the successful divestment of the Consumer Skincare business unit, the industrial merit of combining CCS Healthcare with Kiilto is evident, creating a Nordic powerhouse positioned for future growth”, says Dario Aganovic, CEO of CCS Healthcare.

”We are very pleased with how CCS Healthcare has performed over the past years under the leadership of the current management team. We are convinced that Kiilto as a new owner will be able to further develop CCS Healthcare’s strong position across key Nordic and European markets”, says Sebastian Ehrnrooth, Chairman of Segulah Advisor AB.

For further information please contact:

Dario Aganovic, CEO, CCS Healthcare, +46 72 555 11 01

Sebastian Ehrnrooth, Chairman, Segulah Advisor AB, +46 73 360 42 05

Johan Möllerström, Director, Segulah Advisor AB, +46 72 543 79 11

Blackstone Life Sciences provides $250M Financing

Cambridge, Massachusetts, February 27, 2019 – Blackstone Life Sciences today announced the launch of Anthos Therapeutics Inc. (“Anthos”), a new biopharmaceutical company focused on advancing next-generation targeted therapies for high-risk cardiovascular patients.

As part of this launch, Novartis has licensed to Anthos MAA868, an antibody directed at Factor XI and XIa, key components of the intrinsic coagulation pathway. A large unmet medical need exists for next-generation anti-thrombotic therapies in patients currently underserved by conventional anti-coagulant therapies. As a promising anti-thrombotic modulating genetically and pharmacologically validated components of the intrinsic pathway, MAA868 has the potential to prevent a variety of cardiovascular disorders with minimal or no bleeding risk within a new long-acting treatment paradigm, which would provide major advantages over the conventional standards of care.

Funds managed by Blackstone Life Sciences, a private investment platform with capabilities to invest across the lifecycle of companies and products within the key life sciences sectors, provided $250M for Anthos and will control the development of the products.  Novartis will retain a minority equity interest in Anthos.

According to the American Heart Association, thrombotic disorders cause nearly 500,000 deaths each year. Thrombotic disorders can affect arteries or veins, manifesting as ischemic heart disease, ischemic stroke, peripheral artery disease, venous thromboembolism, and many debilitating orphan diseases. Atrial fibrillation, the most common type of heart arrhythmia, is a major risk factor for ischemic stroke and systemic arterial thromboembolism.

“The need for new medicines to treat cardiovascular diseases is clear, and this agreement is part of our strategy to work with innovators outside our walls to advance medicines that have the potential to have a positive impact for patients,” said Jay Bradner, MD, President of the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research. “Blackstone Life Sciences has the necessary experience and has assembled a first-class team at Anthos to drive the further development of MAA868.”

“Blackstone Life Sciences is focused on bringing important medicines and healthcare technologies to market, often working in partnership with major biopharmaceutical companies to provide them with access to capital, scientific expertise and hands-on operational leadership,” said Nick Galakatos, Ph.D., Head of Blackstone Life Sciences and Chairman of Anthos.  “We are excited to collaborate with Novartis to create Anthos, with the goal of delivering important therapies for the high-risk cardiovascular patients who need them.”

Founding members of Anthos’ Board of Directors include Blackstone Managing Director Paris Panayiotopoulos, former CEO of Ariad Pharmaceuticals, and Blackstone Principal Ari Brettman, MD. Jonathan Freeman, MBA, Ph.D., Blackstone Senior Advisor and Anthos co-founder, joins as Chief Operating Officer.

Shaun Coughlin, MD, Ph.D., Novartis’ Global Head of Cardiovascular and Metabolism joins as an Observer to Anthos’ Board. Craig Basson, MD, Ph.D., Novartis’ Head of Cardiovascular and Metabolism Translational Medicine joins Anthos’ Scientific Advisory Board.

John Glasspool, a former leader of Novartis’ cardiovascular franchise with 30 years of experience in the biopharmaceutical industry, joins Anthos as CEO. Mr. Glasspool served as Global Head of Novartis’ Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases franchise from 2004-2008 and more recently served as Head of Corporate Strategy and a member of the Executive Team at Baxalta that led its acquisition by Shire.

“I am excited to be leading Anthos upon its formation by Blackstone Life Sciences and Novartis. Anthos is well-positioned to leverage contributions from Blackstone and Novartis to deliver life-saving therapies to patients with cardiovascular disease. We are building a leading cardiovascular company, laser focused on genetically and pharmacologically validated targets.” said Mr. Glasspool.

Anthos Therapeutics is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

About Anthos Therapeutics
Anthos Therapeutics Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of genetically and pharmacologically validated therapies for high-risk cardiovascular patient populations. Anthos’ most advanced program is MAA868, an anti- Factor XI / XIa monoclonal antibody, which represents a promising next generation anti-thrombotic investigational therapy with the potential to prevent multiple thrombotic diseases with minimal or no bleeding risk. Anthos is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

About Blackstone Life Sciences
Blackstone Life Sciences is a private investment platform with capabilities to invest across the life-cycle of companies and products within the key life science sectors.  By combining scale investments and hands-on operational leadership, Blackstone Life Sciences helps bring to market promising new medicines that improve patients’ lives. In launching this new platform, Blackstone acquired Clarus, a leading global life-sciences firm.

Contacts
Blackstone
Jennifer Friedman
+1 (212) 583-5122
Jennifer.Friedman@blackstone.com

Novartis
Eric Althoff
+1 (646) 438-4335
Eric.Althoff@novartis.com

Calypso Biotech, an emerging leader in the development of therapeutic antibodies for autoimmune diseases, announces today the closing of a €20M Series A financing co-led by Gilde Healthcare and Inkef Capital. They are joined by Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC, Inc. (JJDC), and the company’s founding investor M Ventures. Further, Calypso Biotech has become Resident Company at Johnson & Johnson Innovation JLABS at Beerse in Belgium (JLABS@BE). Arthur Franken from Gilde Healthcare will join Fiona MacLaughlin (Inkef Capital), Jeanne Bolger (JJDC) and Jasper Bos (M Ventures) on the Board of Directors.

The proceeds from this financing round will support the development of Calypso Biotech’s best-in class anti-Interleukin-15 (IL-15) antibody CALY-002 up to First-in-Patient studies in several autoimmune indications. IL-15 is an immune checkpoint cytokine that controls inflammation as well as multiple tissue-resident immune cells and recently attracted much attention in the immune-oncology space. Especially, IL-15 is being recognized as a key factor in the survival of tissue resident memory T cells, a population of immune cells involved in disease maintenance and recurrence.  Calypso Biotech scientists believe that targeting tissue resident memory T cells offers significant advantages over traditional cytokine interventional approaches and could provide for unprecedented disease-modifying effects.

Calypso Biotech has chosen to develop CALY-002 in Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE) as well as in other undisclosed auto-immune indications. EoE is a severe and debilitating immune-related chronic disease of the esophagus that is the second leading cause of dysphagia (difficulty in swallowing) in adults. EoE has emerged as a frequent and significant cause of upper gastrointestinal morbidity particularly associated with important quality of life impairment and significant financial healthcare burden. CALY-002 has secured Orphan Drug Designation status from the European Medicines and Food & Drug Administration agencies for EoE.

“We believe the unique immunological insight and understanding  for the role of IL15 in disease brought by founders Alain Vicari and Yolande Chvatchko is now ready for translation into a therapy for patients with EoE, for whom limited therapies are available today, as well as in several large auto-immune indications” said Fiona MacLaughlin, Inkef Capital.

Calypso Biotech is also announcing major strengthening of its team. Bernard Coulie, current president and CEO of Pliant Therapeutics, will be appointed as independent Chairman of the Board. Together with Alexandre LeBeaut, Executive Vice-President and CSO of Ipsen and current independent Director of Calypso Biotech, they will contribute to develop its strategic vision and corporate success. Prof. Bart Lambrecht, from the VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research (Belgium), a leading translational immunology expert, will join Calypso Biotech Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Josephin-Beate Holz (ex Ablynx NV), Dr Greg Elson (ex Glenmark, Novimmune), Dr Susana Salgado (ex Novimmune), and Duc Tran (ex Prexton Therepeutics, Preglem, Pfizer) will join as medical, manufacturing, non-clinical development and strategic planning advisors, respectively.

“We appreciate the confidence placed in our team by a strong and well-balanced investor syndicate” said Alain Vicari, CEO and co-Founder of Calypso Biotech. “With the proceeds of the Series A and our newly recruited team of seasoned experts, we are now well positioned to advance CALY-002 towards value-creating near-term milestones”.

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 About Calypso Biotech BV

Calypso Biotech BV is a private biotechnology company focused on the research and development of novel biologics to address unmet medical need in immunological diseases, especially gastrointestinal indications. Calypso Biotech was established in 2013 as a spin-off by the healthcare business of Merck founded by Alain Vicari, Yolande Chvatchko and M Ventures, and is headquartered in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Calypso is led by a team with strong experience and track record in translational immunology and the development of biologics, supported by an advisory board of clinical experts. For more information www.calypsobiotech.com

About INKEF Capital

INKEF Capital is an Amsterdam-based venture capital firm that focuses on long-term collaboration and active support of innovative technology companies. INKEF Capital was founded in 2010 by Dutch pension fund ABP and with €500 million under management is one of the largest venture capital funds in the Netherlands. INKEF focuses on investment opportunities in Healthcare, Technology, IT/New Media & FinTech. For more information www.inkefcapital.com