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Pharma Omnium International strengthens its anti-infectious research department with the acquisition of CellVir
Pharma Omnium International, owned by the private equity company Weinberg Capital Partners, announces the acquisition of CellVir, thereby strengthening its anti-infectious research department.
Founded in 2006, CellVir is a French biotech company created out of the research conducted by Dr Richard Benarous at the Cochin Institute in Paris. CellVir is a specialist in innovative treatments for viruses, particularly the AIDS virus. It focuses its research efforts on the resistance of the virus to existing treatments. CellVir thus operates within an important sub-market (according to the research company IMS, the market for treatments for the HIV/AIDS virus is worth over $ 9 billion per annum).
Following the acquisition of Mutabilis in June 2009, a biotech company specialised in anti-infectious therapies, this new acquisition by Pharma Omnium International will allow the company to strengthen its anti-infectious research capabilities and to consolidate its position as the French leader in innovative treatments. The CellVir research team will join the Mutabilis team in the Biocitech technology park for life sciences based in Romainville (93). POI researchers will be able to immediately occupy a fully equipped lab, left vacant as a result of Astra Zeneca's acquisition of Novexel. The research department will now comprise 35 researchers, biologists, microbiologists, virologists, biochemists and medical chemists, specialised in anti-infective research.
Founded on research conducted by Inserm, CellVir employs 10 researchers. In 2008, the company received initial financial backing from two funds, Inserm Transfert Initiative (a subsidiary of Inserm Transfert) and G1J Ile-de-France (supported by Génopole).
Stéphane Huguet, president of Pharma Omnium International, declared: "The acquisition of CellVir marks a new step in the transformation of Pharma Omnium International into a fully-fledged pharmaceutical laboratory. CellVir is on the cutting edge of the treatment of AIDS and is developing promising molecules out of its innovative approach. Following Mutabilis, the integration of CellVir will allow Pharma Omnium International to accelerate the development of its anti-infectious platform allowing it to assert itself as a major player in the treatment of these deseases."
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