There is good reason for jubilation at the Aarhus-based biotech company NMD Pharma, as the company has just received an investment of 75 million euros - approximately 559 million Danish kroner - from a range of capital funds.

NMD Pharma is a spinout from Aarhus University and was founded by researchers from the Department of Biomedicine. The company specializes in the development of drugs for the treatment of neuromuscular diseases.

According to Associate Professor at the Department of Biomedicine Thomas Holm Pedersen, who is also the CEO of NMD Pharma, the capital injection is a major step towards groundbreaking treatment for patients.

"This funding will significantly help NMD Pharma to develop and enable us to start the late clinical phase with new drugs that will hopefully benefit the patients," he states.

Restoring Muscle Strength and Mobility

Among others, the company develops drugs for patients with myasthenia gravis, spinal muscular atrophy, and Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.

These diseases can lead to muscle weakness and reduced mobility. NMD Pharma's new drug works by blocking a specific chloride channel in muscle cells, and this blockade can thus improve communication between nerves and muscles, which can lead to improved muscle strength and mobility.

The investment will be used to conduct clinical trials with the new preparation against all three diseases. The company hopes that these trials will lead to the medicine being approved for use in patients.

Research Benefiting Patients Worldwide

At Aarhus University, the large investment also gives reason for joy to Thomas G. Jensen, head of the Department of Biomedicine.

"We can be incredibly proud and happy about the large investment in NMD Pharma. It's not only a milestone for the company, but yet another proof that good basic research lays the groundwork for businesses and development of products that make a tangible difference for society and patients worldwide," he says.

About NMD Pharma

NMD Pharma was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in Aarhus. The company develops new treatments for neuromuscular diseases.

Founded by:

• Thomas Holm Pedersen, CEO and Associate Professor at the Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University.
• Ole Bækgaard Nielsen, Professor and Head of the Department of Public Health, Aarhus University
• Claus Elsborg Olesen, Senior Researcher, Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University

Investors:

• Novo Holdings – a private equity fund owned by the Novo Nordisk Foundation
• Lundbeckfonden BioCapital – a capital fund owned by the Lundbeck Foundation, investing in life science companies with a focus on neuroscience.
• INKEF Capital – a capital fund investing in life science companies in the USA and Europe.
• The Roche Venture Fund – a capital fund owned by Roche, investing in life science companies focusing on new technologies.
• Jeito Capital – a capital fund investing in life science companies in Europe.
• CAPNOVA – a capital fund investing in life science companies in Denmark.

NMD Pharma was founded by researchers from the Department of Biomedicine at Aarhus University, where they have worked on developing new treatments for neuromuscular diseases.

NMD Pharma has a collaboration agreement with the university, which among other things gives NMD Pharma access to the university's laboratory facilities.

NMD Pharma also has a number of employees who are affiliated with Aarhus University. These employees work both with research and development projects.

Contact

Professor Thomas G. Jensen
Head of the Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University
Email: thomas@biomed.au.dk
Phone: +45 27782805

Associate Professor and CEO Thomas Holm Pedersen
Department of Biomedicine and NMD Pharma
Email: thp@biomed.au.dk
Phone: +45 87167702