CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Vedanta Biosciences, a leading clinical-stage company developing a new category of therapies for immune-mediated diseases based on rationally defined consortia of human microbiome-derived bacteria, today announced that Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE) has made a $25 million investment in Vedanta, as part of the Pfizer Breakthrough Growth Initiative.
Vedanta intends to use the proceeds to fund a Phase 2 study of VE202 in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which it plans to initiate in 2021. Topline Phase 1 study data showed VE202 was generally safe and well-tolerated at all doses and demonstrated durable and dose-dependent colonization.
“We thank Pfizer for its investment in Vedanta and support of our IBD program and look forward to advancing microbiome modulation as a potential new treatment modality for IBD patients,” said Bernat Olle, Ph.D., Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Vedanta Biosciences.
“Inflammatory bowel disease has a daily, chronic impact on as many as 1.6 million Americans, and with cases on the rise in the U.S., patients urgently need new therapeutic options,” said Michael Vincent, M.D., Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer, Inflammation & Immunology Research Unit at Pfizer. “We believe Vedanta’s approach to modulating the microbiome may hold promise for people living with IBD, and we are excited for its potential as this important study moves forward.”
As part of the investment, Dr. Vincent will join Vedanta’s Scientific Advisory Board. Vedanta will retain control of all its programs and has granted Pfizer a right of first negotiation on VE202.
About VE202
VE202 is a first-in-class orally administered investigational live biotherapeutic product (LBP) consisting of a defined bacterial consortium. It is produced under GMP conditions from pure, clonal bacterial cell banks, which yield a standardized drug product in powdered form and bypasses the need to rely on direct sourcing of fecal donor material of inconsistent composition. VE202 was designed to induce immune tolerance via the gut and thereby potentially treat inflammatory bowel disease. Results describing the biology and candidate selection of VE202 were previously published in Science and Nature (multiple).
About Vedanta Biosciences
Vedanta Biosciences is leading the development of a potential new category of oral therapies based on rationally defined consortia of bacteria derived from the human microbiome. The company’s clinical-stage pipeline includes product candidates being evaluated for the treatment of high-risk C. difficile infection, inflammatory bowel diseases, advanced or metastatic cancers, and food allergy. These investigational therapies are grounded in pioneering research – published in leading journals including Science, Nature, and Cell – to identify beneficial bacteria that live symbiotically within the healthy human gut, fight pathogens and induce a range of potent immune responses. Vedanta Biosciences controls a foundational portfolio of more than 40 patents and has built what is believed to be the world’s biggest library of bacteria derived from the human microbiome. Proprietary capabilities include deep expertise in consortium design, vast datasets from human interventional studies and cGMP-compliant manufacturing of oral live biotherapeutics containing pure, clonally derived bacterial consortia in powdered form. Vedanta Biosciences was founded by PureTech Health (LSE: PRTC, Nasdaq: PRTC) and a global team of scientific co-founders who pioneered Vedanta’s modern understanding of the cross-talk between the microbiome and the immune system.
