France: Biopharma Fabentech gets a €20 million EIB loan to advance preparedness against pandemics and biological threats

This article is published in association with European Investment Bank.

• The European Investment Bank (EIB) and the French biopharmaceutical company Fabentech have signed a €20 million loan under the European HERA Invest mechanism to accelerate R&D, bioproduction, commercialization, and expansion efforts.
• Funds will strengthen Fabentech’s development and deployment of its broad-spectrum therapeutics to combat the highest-priority biological threats to public health.
• Supported by the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) set up by the European Commission in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, this funding reinforces Fabentech’s pivotal role in Europe’s bio-preparedness and response strategy.

The European investment bank (EIB) and Fabentech, a leading French biopharmaceutical company specializing in the development and production of therapeutics against biological threats, have signed a €20 million financing under the HERA Invest mechanism. This €100 million initiative is part of the European Health Union and aims at supporting health emergency prevention and preparedness in Europe, particularly in response to deliberate or natural emergence of biological threats. This significant financing is the result of a thorough analysis of the project’ soundness and is a recognition of the quality of Fabentech’s product portfolio to improve the preparation of Europe against biological threats.

Fabentech’s innovative FabShield® technology platform relies on the production of broad-spectrum polyclonal antibody fragments, designed to neutralize deadly viruses and toxins, including their variants. By leveraging its integrated R&D and bioproduction capabilities, this technology aims to anticipate the development and production of medical countermeasures, ensuring a rapid and effective response in public health emergencies.

Strategic Funding for Global Impact

The €20 million secured through HERA Invest, a flagship initiative of the European Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) will be strategically allocated to accelerate Fabentech’s growth in several key areas:

·        R&D: strengthening Fabentech’s R&D efforts with 6 ongoing programmes targeting top-priority toxins and viruses for biodefense and pandemic preparedness solutions.

• Reinforcing and Scaling-up bio-production: by leveraging on Fabentech’s validated and robust FabShield® technology platform.
• Market Expansion: bolstering marketing efforts to establish a stronger global presence in critical markets and strengthening Fabentech’s pharmaceutical operations to meet increasing international demand.

HERA Invest: Empowering Innovation in Health Security

HERA Invest is a €100 million top-up to the InvestEU programme, funded by the EU4Health programme. It is implemented by the EIB and supports projects that focus on pathogens with pandemic potential, chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear threats, and antimicrobial resistance.

“Backed by EU4Health, HERA Invest encourages innovation in pandemic and CBRN preparedness”, said Laurent Muschel Director-General of HERA. “Partnerships with biopharmaceutical companies like Fabentech, known for their cutting-edge immunotherapies, align with HERA’s commitment to ensure better preparedness for future crises.”

Ambroise Fayolle, Vice-President of the European Investment Bank, added: “Investment in innovative companies such as Fabentech is essential for strengthening health security in Europe. With the joint support of HERA and the EIB, Europe finances projects that advance emergency medical treatment against the most serious biological threats. This funding will enable Fabentech to step up its work in this strategic area for Europe, strengthening our ability to respond to future health crises.”

A Commitment to Global Health and Safety

Fabentech is dedicated to collaborating closely with governments and healthcare organizations to develop effective medical countermeasures against highly pathogenic agents. Whether responding to natural outbreaks or deliberate biological attacks, Fabentech’s mission is to minimize the impact of these growing threats and safeguard public health on a global scale.

“We are honored to receive this support from HERA and the European Investment Bank,” said Sébastien Iva, CEO of Fabentech. “This funding reflects the confidence in our technology and our commitment to safeguarding populations from biological threats. It will allow us to accelerate our initiatives and broaden our impact on a global scale.”

Background information

About EIB:

The European Investment bank is the long-term lending institution of the European Union, owned by its Member States. Its mission is to strengthen the integration, balanced development and economic and social cohesion of the European Union. It borrows large volumes of funds on the capital markets and lends them on very favorable terms to support projects furthering EU policy objectives. The EIB is working to put the European Union at the forefront of the next wave of innovation, especially in the health sector. In response to the COVID-19 health crisis, it released more than €6 billion for investments in the health sector to support medical infrastructure, additional research activities, and the development of vaccines and treatments. As the EU climate bank, the EIB is one of the main providers of finance in the green transition towards a more sustainable, low-carbon growth model.

About Fabentech:

Founded in 2009 and based in Lyon, Fabentech is a biopharmaceutical company specialized in the development, production and marketing of polyclonal antibodies for responding to emergency situations.

Specializing in biothreats and working in close partnership with the European Authorities, the company’s goal is to build a domestic and European shield against the biological threats that are the greatest risk to public health by producing and marketing targeted antidotes to be stocked preventively.

The polyclonal antibody technology used by Fabentech holds great potential for the development of antidotes against bioterrorist attacks and treatments for numerous infectious diseases. Fabentech has 50 staff and is financially supported by prestigious shareholders such as Definvest and Institut Mérieux.

About HERA:

HERA is a division of the European Commission created in September 2021. Its mission is to prevent, detect and respond to health emergencies, in particular by ensuring the development, manufacture, procurement and distribution of essential medical countermeasures to fill any potential gaps in availability and accessibility.

About HERA Invest Programme:

HERA Invest is one of HERA’s flagship initiatives. It is a €100 million top-up to the InvestEU programme, funded by the EU4Health programme that aims to support research and development of medical countermeasures against the most pressing cross-border health threats.

Currently, European companies find it difficult to access sufficient public and private funding for the development and scaling up of cutting-edge solutions in health and life sciences. Innovation, however, is needed to respond to priority health threats such as pathogens with high pandemic potential or resistance to antibiotics.

HERA Invest is helping to meet these challenges by:

• promoting R&D in Europe to strengthen strategic autonomy;
• leveraging public funding to incentivise private investment;
• creating new medical countermeasures to enhance protection against health threats.

HERA Invest is geared towards small and mid-sized companies (SMEs) that develop medical countermeasures addressing one of the following health threats:

• pathogens with pandemic or epidemic potential;
• chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats originating from accidental or deliberate release;
• antimicrobial resistance.