Aperion Biologics create invIOs Holding through demerger

APEIRON Biologics AG has announced that the annual general meeting held yesterday has approved the new structure of the group through the demerger of its preclinical and clinical development activities and the creation of a new fully separate holding company, invIOs Holding AG.

With the demerger, invIOs becomes fully separate entity focused on advancing its EPiC cell therapy platform and clinical-stage immuno-oncology pipeline.

The approved demerger of APEIRON Biologics AG’s 100% shareholding in invIOs GmbH (invIOs) leads to the foundation of invIOs Holding AG, which bundles the operations of its wholly owned subsidiaries, invIOs GmbH and APEIRON Respiratory Therapies GmbH (AResT), the company said. Shareholders in APEIRON Biologics AG will be granted shares in invIOs Holding AG pro rata to their current shareholdings in APEIRON Biologics AG.

Furthermore, invIOs will continue to focus on developing novel immuno-oncology treatments for difficult-to-treat cancers with its cell therapy platform EPiC (Enhancement Platform for immune Cells) and clinical-stage lead asset, APN401. AResT will drive the development of APN01, currently being developed for the treatment of COVID-19 and other respiratory and pulmonary indications.

APEIRON Biologics AG continues to hold the IP and license for its marketed product, Qarziba (APN311), which is globally licensed to EUSA Pharma Ltd, the company said.

Peter Llewellyn-Davies, CEO of invIOs, commented: “Our highly experienced team, with a core competency in immuno-oncology and a proven track record of successfully developing drugs and bringing them to market, is already hard at work advancing our novel programs in difficult-to-treat cancers with the goal of bringing important new treatment options to very sick patients.

“The new group structure approved by the AGM is an important step forward in enabling our innovation and growth, and we are grateful to our shareholders for their ongoing support. We believe this new structure will facilitate invIOs’ access to funding from international specialist life science investors and partners, enabling the full potential of our exciting immuno-oncology pipeline to be realized.”