NAARDEN, The Netherlands--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Forbion Capital Partners, the leading Dutch VC firm investing in world-class healthcare technologies, announces that its portfolio company Argos Therapeutics (“Argos” or “the Company”) has closed its initial public offering.
The initial public offering price was $8.00 per ordinary share. Argos' ordinary shares have listed on the NASDAQ Global Market and began trading under the symbol "ARGS" on 7 February 2014.
Piper Jaffray & Co., Stifel, Nicolaus & Company, Incorporated and JMP Securities LLC acted as book-running managers for the offering. Needham & Company, LLC was co-manager.
Argos is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of fully personalized immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. The Company’s proprietary Arcelis™ technology is based on research of one of Argos’ founders, the late Dr. Ralph Steinman, who received the Nobel Prize for his scientific achievements in 2011.
Several other of Forbion’s portfolio companies have developed novel products and therapies based on Nobel Prize-winning research. Alantos, Inc. (previously known as Therascope AG) developed drugs based on a technology originated by Nobel Prize laureate Prof. Jean-Marie Lehn and was acquired by Amgen in 2007 for $300m. In 2011 Forbion also invested in Hookipa Biotech that develops innovative vaccines using an LCMV vector based on technology emerging from research by Nobel Prize laureate Prof. Rolf Zinkernagel.
These examples show Forbion’s ability to identify, invest in- and develop innovative medicines based on outstanding and groundbreaking research. Argos is the third Forbion portfolio company to have recently completed an initial public offering listed on NASDAQ.
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About Argos
Argos is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of fully personalized immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases based on its Arcelis™ technology platform. For more information about Argos Therapeutics, visit www.argostherapeutics.com.
About Forbion Capital Partners
Forbion Capital Partners is a dedicated Life Sciences venture capital firm with offices in Naarden, The Netherlands, and Munich, Germany. Forbion invests in life sciences companies in drug discovery & development as well as medical device companies addressing substantial unmet medical needs. Forbion’s investment team of nine investment professionals has built an impressive performance track record since the late nineties with successful investments in Rhein Biotech, Crucell, Neutec, Glycart, Borean, Impella, Alantos, Acorda, Fovea, PanGenetics, Argenta Discovery and most recently Biovex, Pathway Medical and Circulite. Current assets under management exceed $550m, split between four active funds and comprising some 29 promising portfolio companies. Forbion Capital Partners Fund II is supported by the European Investment Fund through its ERP and LfA facilities. Forbion co-manages Biogeneration Ventures, an early stage fund focused on (academic) spin-outs and seed investments in the Netherlands. For more information, please visit www.forbion.com.
