Now Reading: Natco Pharma invests additional $14 million in biotech firm eGenesis
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Natco Pharma invests additional $14 million in biotech firm eGenesis
Natco Pharma invests additional $14 million in biotech firm eGenesis
Drugmaker Natco Pharma is investing an additional $14 million in US-based biotechnology company eGenesis, which is developing genetically engineered organs for transplantation. The investment will be made through convertible promissory notes by…
Drugmaker Natco Pharma is investing an additional $14 million in US-based biotechnology company eGenesis, which is developing genetically engineered organs for transplantation. The investment will be made through convertible promissory notes by Natco's subsidiaries: Natco Pharma (Canada) Inc. will invest $9.5 million, and Natco Pharma South Africa Proprietary Ltd will contribute $4.5 million.
Natco had previously invested $8 million in eGenesis in September 2024 through preferred stock, bringing the total investment to $22 million. eGenesis is developing genome-engineered organs to address the global shortage of transplantable organs and is advancing programmes focused on kidney transplantation, acute liver failure, and heart transplantation.
In March 2024, eGenesis announced the world's first porcine kidney transplant in a living human patient under the US FDA's Expanded Access pathway, and has since reported two additional transplants with positive outcomes. Natco Pharma shares closed 1.92% lower at Rs 866.45 on the BSE on Tuesday.
Indian Opinion Analysis
This investment signals Natco's bet on a frontier where regulatory and scientific hurdles remain high. Xenotransplantation has faced decades of setbacks due to immune rejection and viral risks, but eGenesis's gene-editing platform aims to solve both. If the technology clears larger clinical trials, it could open a market worth billions, given that over 100,000 patients are on the US organ waiting list alone. The FDA's Expanded Access pathway allows experimental treatments for patients with no alternatives, but full approval would require years of data. For Natco, the stake is small relative to its market cap, but the payoff depends on eGenesis reaching pivotal trials and securing regulatory clearances. The next signal to watch is whether eGenesis files for a formal Investigational New Drug application with the FDA for its kidney programme.
Source: thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
