The Pierre Fabre Group, the French pharmaceuticals and cosmetics company, and Gennisium Pharma have announced an agreement whereby Pierre Fabre takes a minority stake in Gennisium through its dedicated investment subsidiary Pierre Fabre Invest.
Gennisium’s company mission is to provide newborn patients with suitable medicines, based on affordable prices and with global reach. To this end, Gennisium is looking to reposition known molecules for neonatal indications and to provide health care professionals and neonatal intensive care units with novel and suitable formulations along with the medicines they need to prevent or treat neonatal diseases and conditions.
Franck Pigache, CEO, Gennisium Pharma, commented: “We are very pleased with this investment and to now have such a strong partner as Pierre Fabre among our shareholders – a major player and a successful company with solid experience in the pharmaceutical industry and the specific field of pediatrics. With their backing, Gennisium will have additional means and latitude to pursue its growth. New drugs are under development and Pierre Fabre’s investment will allow us to accelerate the registration and availability of those products.”
Alongside oncology and dermatology, Pierre Fabre is increasingly involved in the field of rare diseases, with a special focus on diseases affecting newborns, developing specific and prophylactic therapies for this patient population in need for adapted treatments. Such is the approach adopted for infantile hemangioma since 2014 and, more recently, for XLHED, a rare genetic disease affecting the sweat and respiratory glands, skin, hair and teeth conditions of baby boys.
Eric Ducournau, CEO, Pierre Fabre Group, said: “We are delighted to be working with Gennisium Pharma, a young, innovative pharmaceutical company developing formulations for premature babies and niche markets. Through this investment, we confirm our willingness to explore new opportunities in the field of rare pediatric diseases where patient and family needs remain immense.”
Both companies are already working together to provide this fragile population of patients with therapeutic advances. By joining forces with Pierre Fabre, Gennisium finds a strong partner with global experience and connections in the pharmaceutical industry to accelerate its development in neonatology.
Pierre Fabre will help Gennisium build up its product portfolio, its organization and its market access across the world, by investing in existing operations, potential licensing agreements and expertise sharing in the field of neonatology and pediatrics.
Gennisium aims to manage key and strategic functions in house, notably Regulatory Affairs, Medical and Marketing as well as Commercialization of drugs, with its own sales force, in key European and Export countries.