Eindhoven-based Xeltis, a clinical-stage medtech company, announced on Tuesday, February 21, that it has secured €32M in a Series D2 equity fundraising.
The investment came from a syndicate of current and new investors, including Grand Pharma, DaVita Venture Group, EQT Life Sciences, Invest-NL, and other international investors.
Xeltis says it will use the proceeds to advance its crucial clinical programmes into pivotal trials to give patients an advanced restorative cardiovascular device.
“The strategic support of Grand Pharma and DaVita alongside our existing investor base represents a strong validation of our technology and potential to transform the landscape of cardiovascular surgery. We remain focused on progressing our aXess clinical trials, as well as exploring our next steps in other indications,” comments Eliane Schutte, CEO of Xeltis.
“Securing this financing is an important milestone for Xeltis. We are proud to have attracted such high-profile investors to our company and look forward to leveraging their respective insights – from clinical expertise to the product development lifecycle – as we continue to the next phase of growth,” he adds.
Licensing deal with Grand Pharma
Besides funding, Xeltis also announced that it has signed a deal with Grand Pharma for aXess and other potential hemodialysis product development.
aXess, Xeltis’ most advanced programme is a restorative cardiovascular access graft for hemodialysis-dependent patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD).
Under the agreement, Grand Pharma will have exclusive rights to develop, produce and commercialise these products in Greater China.
The announcement comes as China has the largest number of CKD patients in the world, accounting for about 130M people – around 580,000 are currently on hemodialysis.
The number of people on hemodialysis in China is projected to increase by 15 per cent in the next five years.
Frank Zhou, Grand Pharmaceutical Group CEO says, “Xeltis is leading the way in addressing the current limitations of access grafts for hemodialysis patients, using a ground-breaking approach based on its world-leading ETR platform. We believe the company’s technology has enormous potential to benefit patients and hospital care systems globally.”
In August 2022, the medtech company raised €15M in a Series D2 round of funding from China-based Grand Pharmaceutical Group.
Developing next-gen implants
Xeltis was founded in 2006, as a result of the merger of two Dutch/Swiss university spin-offs.
The Dutch company is developing next-generation implants that naturally integrate into the body to restore and sustain vascular and valve function.
Xeltis’ proprietary Endogenous Tissue Restoration (ETR) platform utilises an advanced polymer-based material that triggers the body’s natural healing response to regenerate the patient’s tissue around it, forming new, living, and long-lasting vessels and valves.
Alongside aXess, which is currently in pivotal clinical trials, Xeltis is also pursuing clinical programs in pulmonary valve replacement and coronary artery bypass grafts.
Currently, the company has initiated the development of three types of cardiovascular implants: pulmonary heart valves, coronary artery bypass grafts, and hemodialysis access grafts.
Steve Phillips, Group Vice President for DaVita Venture Group, says, “We’re incredibly energized by the progress Xeltis has made in developing a technology to improve care for patients receiving life-sustaining dialysis care. This investment is spurred by our commitment to kidney care transformation and advancing solutions that improve the quality of life for patients.”
