The UK-based invoX Pharma Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of China’s Sino Biopharmaceutical Ltd (HKG: 1177), has revealed the completion of a second tranche of investment in the Belfast-based company pHion Therapeutics. Specific details regarding the first or second tranche of investment and invoX’s current stake-holding in pHion have not been disclosed.
pHion Therapeutics’ Innovative Drug Delivery Platform
Founded in 2017, pHion has developed the RALA peptide-based drug delivery platform, which is capable of delivering anionic molecules such as mRNA and saRNA in a ‘stealth-like’ manner, evading detection to generate potent antigen-specific CD8+ T-cell responses. This innovative approach sets pHion apart from traditional mRNA vaccine delivery platforms, offering the added advantage of ease of scalability and logistics, including stability at room temperature.
Regulatory Approvals and Previous Delays
Notably, invoX has underlined that the investment has “received all required regulatory approvals, including clearance from the regulatory agency in charge of enforcing the UK’s National Security and Investment Act”. This is a significant milestone, considering that invoX’s previous purchase of a controlling stake in UK firm F-Star Therapeutics (NASDAQ: FSTX) faced a near-12-month delay due to regulatory hold-ups linked to the Committee for Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). That deal finally closed in March this year, having been first announced in June 2022.-Fineline Info & Tech
