TargEDys Extends Series A and Appoints New Board Members

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Apr 11, 2017, 09:00 ET

PARIS, April 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

TargEDys, which develops innovative microbiome-based solutions to regulate the appetite, has extended its Series A by 3.5 million Euro from Zaluvida, which joins existing investors Seventure Partners, NCI and Pontifax. In parallel, the TargEDys Board of Directors welcomes three new members.

Zaluvida logo (PRNewsfoto/Zaluvida)

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Zaluvida invests in TargEDys

Zaluvida's investment of 3.5 million euro in TargEDys supplements the initial 5.8 million euro raised in April 2016, and its non-dilutive funding of 1.1 million euro by Bpifrance in March 2017. This additional investment will allow to accelerate and strengthen the development of TargEDys technologies and products.

TargEDys builds on the work of professors Sergueï Fetissov and Pierre Déchelotte, from the University of Rouen, who were the first to identify a molecular mechanism of the "gut-brain" axis. Based on this discovery, TargEDys is developing two appetite-regulation products:

ProbioSatys targets overweight through bacteria producing a protein with effects similar to α - MSH, the human satiety hormone. This product has demonstrated its effectiveness in various preclinical models. 1.4 billion people are overweight globally, as are 60% of the population of developed countries.

ProbioNutrys is based on the same principle, but acts in reverse via another species of bacteria by stimulating appetite. It is intended for seniors suffering from malnourishment, cachectic or anorexic patients. Elderly people are particularly concerned by malnutrition. This phenomenon affects 4 to 10% of those who stay at home and reaches 30 to 70% of those who are hospitalized.

"In addition to its contribution to our capital, Zaluvida's know-how is very valuable to TargEDys' development, in particular in terms of access to the market and marketing," reports Grégory Lambert, CEO of TargEDys.

Christoph Staeuble, Zaluvida Group CEO commented:

"TargEDys is well positioned at the forefront of human microbiome research and development, which I personally consider to be the ultimate frontier to address the obesity epidemic, therefore I am delighted that we are creating a partnership of like-minded teams to expedite the commercialization of these breakthrough solutions."

Building on these new strengths, TargEDys hopes to quickly position itself among the global leaders in appetite regulation.

Three new members have joined the Board of Directors of TargEDys: Christoph Staeuble, Matthias Miller and Danilo Casadei-Massari.

About the new members

Christoph Staeuble, CEO, Zaluvida Group.

Chris is a proven business leader with a track record of delivering exceptional business results in FMCG and SMCG industries. He spent the initial 17 years of his career with P&G, last as Managing Director Health Care, before joining Omega Pharma as Chief Operating Officer in 2010. He led Omega Pharma into the Top 5 of the European OTC industry then joined Zaluvida on July 1, 2016.

Matthias Miller, Chief Scientific Officer, Zaluvida Group.

Matthias' expertise lies in bringing product concepts through to development and clinical trials. He is a registered pharmacist and has a Masters degree in Clinical Trial Management. Prior to his appointment as Chief Scientific Officer at Zaluvida, Matthias served as COO of analyze & realize GmbH, a Berlin based life science consultancy and clinical research company. From 1987 till 2006, he worked in managing positions with German and international companies operating in the field of natural health & food products.

Danilo Casadei-Massari

Danilo has extensive experience as a senior pharmaceutical executive and as a highly successful serial entrepreneur. Most recently he was a founder and President of CM&D Pharma Ltd, a medical foods company he founded in 2007 and sold to Nestle Health Science in 2011. He is currently a Director on the boards of companies based in the USA, Italy, Ireland, Finland and France as well as a Cofounder in some of them. Danilo is an expert in start-ups and co-ventures in the pharmaceutical sector.

The Board of Directors of TargEDys, is now composed of