News

Ruggell, Liechtenstein, December 06, 2007, Pantec Biosolutions AG, a private drug delivery company specialising in laser micro-poration technology for the transdermal delivery of large molecular weight drugs, has announced the successful initiation of its Series A equity investment round raising CHF 6.3 million (EURO 3.84 million, US$ 5.67 million).

Austrian venture capital firm, Gamma Capital Partners, will be leading the investment round. The Gamma Capital Partners investment will be complemented by investments from a group of prominent private investors from various industries around Switzerland, Austria, Germany and Liechtenstein . Gamma Capital Partners will invest in Pantec Biosolutions with finance drawn from the firm’s Luxemburg based fund, Gamma III SICAR.

This new investment will enable Pantec Biosolutions to further develop its device and drug patch technology with the aim of replacing the required hormone treatment regime of daily injections made over a period of several weeks during In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF), with a simpler regime of epidermal preparation and IVF hormone patches. The Company’s current business model is focussed on developing a variety of therapeutic treatments which encompass the IVF therapy regime.

Pantec Biosolutions has developed a laser micro-poration device P.L.E.A.S.E.^® (Laser Easy Drug Delivery Technology) for large molecular weight drug delivery such as IVF hormones, placing the Company in a strong position for later stage licensing or its own commercialisation. Pantec Biosolutions has also developed a preclinical pipeline of identified biopharmaceutical therapies for P.L.E.A.S.E.^® transdermal application to resolve unmet medical needs in selected therapeutic areas. Dr. Christof Böhler, CEO of Pantec Biosolutions, commented: “We are delighted to receive strong support from such an impressive syndicate of investors. This is undoubtedly further validation of our P.L.E.A.S.E.^® platform and targeted business strategy. We are impressed by Gamma Capital Partner’s investment track record and their understanding of the drug delivery field. This new investment from Gamma Capital Partners will be accompanied by additional investment from our current shareholders.”

Burkhard Feurstein , Managing Director of Gamma Capital Partners AG, said: "The experience and entrepreneurial drive of the Company’s founders and executive team, the fast and highly effective execution of the project since its inception and, last but not least, the scope of Pantec’s drug delivery platform and the market opportunity that this presents, convinced us that Pantec Biosolutions has all the elements in place to become an outstandingly successful company."

For further details please contact:

Media relations

Tristan Jervis , Account Director
Justine Lamond Account Manager
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7457 7857
pantec@collegehill.com

At the Company

Pantec Biosolutions AG
Dr. Christof Boehler, Chief Executive Officer
Tel: +423 377 1390
christof.boehler@pantec-biosolutions.com

About Pantec Biosolutions and P.L.E.A.S.E.^®

Pantec Biosolutions is a private drug delivery company specialising in laser micro-poration technology to deliver large molecular weight drugs into the epidermis for systemic or topical uptake, removing unwanted therapeutic side effects including drug degradation. Its proprietary P.L.E.A.S.E.^® (Laser Easy Drug Delivery Technology) platform enables efficient, needle free and painless application of biopharmaceutical drugs, such as IVF hormones, in varying and individualised dosages through partnered patch technology.  
The Company’s P.L.E.A.S.E.^® platform is available both for the development of the Company’s own pipeline and for penetration into new markets through strategic partnerships. The technology is currently in clinical trials for the delivery of IVF hormone therapy, a market with an estimated value of US$1.5 – 2 billion.

Pantec Biosolutions is based in Ruggell, Liechtenstein .

More information on Pantec Biosolutions can be found at www.pantec-biosolutions.com

About gcp gamma capital partners (GCP)

GCP is a leading Austrian Venture Management firm with offices in Vienna (A), Lindenberg (D), Bratislava (SK) and Luxemburg. Founded in 2002, GCP is now Austria ’s most active technology investor, with an investment team of eight professionals combining over 50 years of industry experience. Currently, GCP manages close to €70 million in three funds (iLab24 AG and gamma II AG and gamma III SICAR), specialised in investments in the medical equipment, life sciences and ICT industries. Investors in the funds include leading Austrian and international financial institutions as well as individual investors. GCP has a regional focus on the German speaking market and the new EU-markets bordering Austria . Targeting lead roles in the home market, GCP positions itself as a strong local partner for international VCs investing in Austria . The main focus is on early-stage and expansion situations.

The current portfolio includes:

·        appliLog (Supply Chain Event Management, Klagenfurt )
·        CNSystems (medical technology, Graz )
·        EUCODIS (in vivo hypermutation & recombination, Vienna )
·        FatFoogoo (trading platform for virtual goods, Vienna )
·        GAT Microencapsulation (micro-encapsulation, Ebenfurth)
·        Infoniqa Holding (Enterprise Software, Human Capital Management, Knowledge Management, Vienna )
·        IDENTEC SOLUTIONS (Long-range RFID, Lustenau)
·        ON DEMAND Microelectronics (Chip Design, Vienna )
·        ORIDIS Biomed (Biotech, Graz )
·        Pantec Biosolutions (intraepidermal drug delivery, Liechtenstein )
·        Pro-Med (Infusion systems, Linz )
·        SensiX-Netragon (CRM and business services, Starnberg, D)
·        The Siesta Group (automated analysis tools for sleep-laboratories, Vienna ). 
 
Exits: Inode (return 340% IRR), Tiani Medgraph AG, Aphton Corporation (Igeneon)

For further information, please visit www.gamma-capital.com.