Investments

Since 1997, NeoMed has invested in more than 30 private companies in the healthcare and life sciences industry.

	Abaxis produces and markets point-of-care blood analyzers, which provide clinicians with rapid measurement of blood-constituents for both humans and animals. The analyzers are designed to be portable, require minimal training, provide on-the-spot results, and offer built-in quality control and calibration. The analyzers utilize disposable reagent discs to perform several of the most common blood tests, all approved by the FDA. Investment sold.
	Actelion Ltd. is a biopharmaceutical company founded in 1997. Actelion's first drug, Tracleer®, is an orally available dual endothelin receptor antagonist. Tracleer® was licensed from Hoffmann-La Roche, and further developed and commercialized by Actelion as a therapy for pulmonary arterial hypertension. Actelion markets Tracleer® through its own subsidiaries in key markets worldwide. Actelion is a leading player in innovative science related to the endothelium – the single layer of cells separating every blood vessel from the blood stream. Investment sold.
	Aderis Pharmaceuticals Inc. was a biopharmaceutical company specializing in the treatment of cardiovascular, renal and neurological diseases. Aderis’ expertise was in the discovery and development of small-molecule drug candidates that act selectively on enzymes or subtypes of receptors that regulate important physiological processes. Aderis was acquired by Schwarz Pharma in 2005. Investment sold.
	Alertis Medical is a privately held company based in Norway. The company develops a new patented biosensor-system, for early discovery of organ failure (ischemia) based on in vivo measurement of pCO2 pressure. The pathology of ischemia is linked to diseases like heart attack, stroke and shock. By discovering ischemia at an early stage, it is possible to reverse the condition by surgical or medical treatment. In portfolio.
	Athersys is a biopharmaceutical company applying its proprietary adult stam cell platform and RAGE (Random Access Gene Expression) technology to develop products in the area of regenerative medicine, obesity, astma and other disorders. In portfolio.
	Axovan AG was a Swiss drug development company specializing in G Protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Axovan had a fully functional drug discovery platform and a growing portfolio of drug candidates targeting GPCRs for various indications. The company was acquired by Actelion Ltd. in September 2003. Investment sold.
	Cardiac Assist has developed a ventricular assist device (VAD) called Tandemheart™, essentially a pump that can be used to maintain heart function in connection with temporary relief of the heart muscle. Cardiac Assist’s Tandemheart™ system comes in two versions, one percutaneous (pVAD) and one implantable (iVAD). In portfolio.
	Clavis Pharma is a pharmaceutical company creating patented new drug analogs of existing drugs based on its proprietary Lipid Vector Technology (fatty acids). The new drug analogs offer improved efficacy and safety profile, prolonged effect allowing for more convenient dosing schedule, more convenient administration as well as opening up for new clinical indications. Clavis was founded in August 2001 by NeoMed and Norsk Hydro and successfully completed an IPO on Oslo Stock Exchange in July 2006. In portfolio.
	Conor Medsystems, Inc., founded in 1999, is a developer of innovative controlled vascular drug delivery technologies. Conor has initially focused on the development of drug-eluting stents to treat coronary artery disease. Conor is seeking to capitalize on the full therapeutic potential of drug-eluting stents through the development of a stent specifically designed for drug delivery. Conor's objective is to become a technological, clinical, and market leader in the field of controlled vascular drug delivery with innovative drug delivery stents. Investment sold.
	Creabilis is a specialty pharmaceuticals company with the objective of developing and commercializing a portfolio of products addressing mainly dermatological indications. However by virtue of their specific mode of actions it is very likely that at least some of these products will also find applications outside of dermatology. Creabilis’ founding assets are 5 programmes, ranging from pre-clinical to clinical Phase II stages of development.
	CytoCore, Inc. commercializes cost-effective point of care diagnostic systems for the detection of cervical cancer. The Company’s technology has the potential to improve the screening and diagnosis of cervical cancer. Investment sold.
	Diagnoplex is a molecular diagnostics company with the objective of developing and commercializing a portfolio of tests for the early detection of various cancers. Diagnoplex’s most advanced product is COLOX a non-invasive, peripheral blood-based, test for the early detection of colorectal cancer (CRC). Diagnoplex was founded in 2005 and is based in Lausanne, Switzerland.
	Endosense is a medical device company founded in 2003 specializing in cardiovascular diseases. Endosense is based in Geneva, Switzerland and develops and commercializes solutions to enable the adoption of percutaneous catheter ablation for the treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF). In portfolio.
	EUSA Pharma was created in 2006 to acquire products already on the market or in the final stages of clinical development with the aim to build a leading transatlantic specialty pharmaceuticals company focussing on critical care, oncology and pain management.
	Gendaq was built on Sir Aron Klug’s front running research enabling the engineering of transcription factors known as zinc finger DNA binding proteins (ZFP-TFs) for specific use in the regulation of gene expression and therapeutic gene correction. The Company was acquired by Sangamo BioSciences in 2001. Investment sold.
	GenoVision AS was an international pioneer in DNA sample preparation, with a focus on developing systems for automatic isolation and purification of DNA, as well as diagnostic methods used in connection with organ transplants. Genovision was acquired by Qiagen in 2002. Investment sold.
	Harbinger develops a non-invasive cardiac diagnostic tool that helps physicians to more accurately assess a patient's risk of life threatening arrhythmias. Harbinger aids the physician's decision regarding treatment options, which range from lifestyle changes to anti-arrhythmic medication to the implantation of a defibrillator. In portfolio.
	Icagen is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of novel small molecule drugs that modulate ion channel targets. The company has developed an integrated technology platform that allows for the efficient discovery of drug leads. Investment sold.
	JenaValve is a medical technology company located in Munich, Germany. The company was founded in 2006 to commercialize the technology developed at the Friedrich Schiller University in Jena, Germany. JenaValve is developing a minimal invasive percutaneous catheter delivered aortic valve replacement (AVR) device, which is intended to become an alternative for conventional valve replacement done by open heart surgery.
	Kuros Biosurgery AG, a spin off from the ETH of Zurich, Switzerland, is a biomaterials company with the mission to develop products for surgery, wound healing and bone regeneration. The company develops a family of products that are based on the covalent linking of growth factors to suitable biocompatible matrices. The proprietary technology constitutes a broad platform allowing development of large number of innovative products and solutions. Kuros signed a major strategic collaboration agreement with Baxter Healthcare in 2005. In portfolio.
	Metrika, Inc. was a manufacturer and marketer of multi-use disposable diabetes monitoring products designed to improve the care and quality of life for people with diabetes and other chronic conditions. Metrika was acquired by Bayer Healthcare in 2006. Investment sold.
	Minnow Medical is focused on developing proprietary products to treat artery disease. The company is initially targeting the Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD)-market (clogging of the arteries which are furthest from the heart), but the technology developed can also be used to treat the other major artery diseases, Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) and Carotid Artery Disease.
	NeoRad is a privately owned Norwegian based medical device company, founded i 1998. The company is dedicated to the development, manufacturing and marketing of instruments and devices, mainly in the field of radiology and interventional procedures. In portfolio.
	NovaShunt AG is a privately-held medical device start-up company that designs and develops advanced fluid shunting technologies for the treatment and management of chronic fluid build-up within the body. The company’s mission is to improve the quality of patients' lives and positively impact their clinical outcome by offering advanced, cost-effective solutions for fluid management to the medical community. NovaShunt was founded in 2002 and incorporated in 2004. The company holds extensive intellectual property around automated fluid management within the body and has several patents pending. In portfolio.
	Novexel is a privately owned French pharmaceutical company focused exclusively on the discovery, development and rapid progression to market of novel antibacterial and antifungal agents to treat severe and difficult to treat bacterial and fungal infections. Novexel was formed in 2004 as the result of a spin-out of the Anti-infectives Unit of Aventis Pharma, a world-leader in the discovery and provision of antimicrobial drugs.
	Orchid Cellmark is a leading provider of identity DNA testing services for the human identity and agriculture markets. In the human identity area, the company provides DNA testing services for forensic, family relationship and security applications. In the agriculture field, Orchid Cellmark provides DNA testing services for food safety and selective trait breeding. Investment sold.
	Oxxon Therapeutics is developing innovative antigen-specific immunotherapies to treat patients with chronic infectious diseases and cancer. To date, the company has built an initial pipeline through its patented Hi-8™ PrimeBoost™ immunotherapy platform, an approach that allows the rapid development of products to selectively stimulate and enhance potent immune responses against disease. Investment sold.
	Paion was formed in 2000 as a spin off from Schering AG. The company commercializes several biological drug candidates in the field of nervous tissue damage and thrombotic diseases. Paion’s lead drug candidate, Desmoteplase, is being developed for the treatment of blood clots after stroke incidents. Paion AG successfully completed an Initial Public Offering (IPO) on the Frankfurt Exchange in early 2005. In portfolio.
	Pharmion is a biopharmaceutical company focused on acquiring, developing and commercializing innovative products for the treatment of hematology and oncology patients. Pharmion has a number of products on the market including the world's first approved epigenetic cancer drug, Vidaza(R), a DNA demethylating agent. The company acquires marketing rights of approved drugs and late stage development products in which the available data and regulatory risk can be assessed and managed. Investment sold.
	Progressive Angioplasty Systems, Inc. (PAS) designed, developed, manufactured and marketed interventional cardiology products including proprietary balloon-expandable martensitic nitinol stents and low-cost over-the-wire and rapid exchange balloon angioplasty catheters used in the treatment of coronary artery disease. PAS were acquired by United States Surgical Corporation (USSC) in 1997. Investment sold.
	PregLem is a specialty, biopharmaceutical company founded in June 2006 in Geneva, Switzerland, with the objective of developing and commercializing a portfolio of products addressing significant benign gynecological conditions and infertility.
	Santhera Pharmaceuticals is a clinical stage Swiss biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery, development and marketing of small molecule pharmaceuticals for the treatment of neuromuscular diseases. Santhera was founded in 2004 through the merger of MyoContract AG and Graffinity Pharmaceuticals AG. In portfolio.
	Somnus designs, develops, manufactures and markets innovative medical devices utilizing a proprietary radio frequency technology for the treatment of upper airway disorders. Somnus has received marketing approval for its system to treat certain conditions and has built a direct sales force in the USA and a network of distributors in Europe. Investment sold.
	Thommen Medical is an emerging dental implant company based in Switzerland. The Company was founded in August 2001 to complete the development and launch of the SPI® dental implant product range acquired from Mathys Medical and has a complete product line matching leading dental suppliers in the market. Thommen Medical’s research and development efforts are concentrated on applying advanced biomaterials and surface technology to its products in order to reduce the time and costs related to dental replants procedures. In portfolio.
	Volcano Corporation is a publicly traded medical device company founded in 2000. The Company develops, manufactures and commercializes a broad range of intravascular ultrasound and functional measurement products that enhance the diagnosis and treatment of vascular and structural heart disease. Volcano successfully completed an IPO in June 2006. In portfolio.
	Brexys, Inc. is a California-based start-up company focused on prevention of breast cancer in high risk patients. Brexys plans to commercialize intraductal therapy as a means of reducing the risk of breast cancer. The approach can be described as a minimally invasive approach that eliminates the precancerous changes in the epithelial lining of the milk ducts thereby reducing the risk of subsequent breast cancer. Comparable to a prophylactic mastectomy in its ability to prevent breast cancer, intraductal therapy is local, non-surgical, and does not change the look or feel of the breast itself. In portfolio.
	Xanthus is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development, acquisition and commercialization of small-molecule therapeutics for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune disorders. Xanthus has a broad portfolio of drug candidates that are advancing in clinical and preclinical development for multiple indications. Each of these drug candidates was in-licensed based on significant clinical and/or preclinical data supporting product safety and activity. In portfolio.