In June the board of Abera Bioscience announced that it has decided to reorganize the company in order to facilitate financing and collaborations for the various vaccine projects.

Abera develops vaccines and immunotherapies based on its patented platforms. The lead project is a nasal vaccine against pneumococcus which is being prepared for phase I. The company is also exploring the possibilities of using its platforms for therapeutic vaccines against cancer. In addition, the company has a pipeline with several early development projects in vaccines against e.g. chlamydia and tuberculosis.

Read more: A platform for multiple success _ NLS interview with Abera’s CEO

Two private subsidiaries

The board of Abera has decided to put the more mature projects into separate subsidiaries to facilitate financing by making the various companies more attractive to investors with different interests and investment profiles, it states in a press release.

By forming two private subsidiaries, we reach a significantly larger circle of stakeholders and can deepen discussions with financiers who focus on private companies. Investors can choose whether they want to invest via the stock exchange in the entire company in the way that happens today, or concentrate their investment on the pneumococcal vaccine, which is currently the most advanced product, or our cancer vaccine, which is earlier in development.”

“During the spring, we have met a number of companies and potential investors who are either interested in our prophylactic part or in the therapeutic part, as well as a number of investors who, according to their internal rules, are not allowed to invest in listed companies. By forming two private subsidiaries, we reach a significantly larger circle of stakeholders and can deepen discussions with financiers who focus on private companies. Investors can choose whether they want to invest via the stock exchange in the entire company in the way that happens today, or concentrate their investment on the pneumococcal vaccine, which is currently the most advanced product, or our cancer vaccine, which is earlier in development. The board believes that this company structure creates new opportunities for the company and is the most favorable way forward from a shareholder perspective,” explains Anders Ericson, chairman of the board at Abera.

Pneubera AB and Obera Therapeutics AB

The two separate subsidiaries will be Pneubera AB, which will primarily contain the rights to the pneumococcal vaccine candidate Ab-01.12 and Obera Therapeutics AB with rights to the company’s therapeutic vaccine in oncology. Details regarding rights and any additional projects in the subsidiaries will be designed in the near future and adjusted to create the greatest possible shareholder value.

“During the past year, we have met a number of stakeholders, both Nordic and international, who have been positive about our projects and technologies. Many times they have regulations that prevent collaborations or investments in listed companies. Sweden is unique in using the public as financiers at an early stage, and internationally the regulations are clearly not adapted for this. I see several, already initiated contacts to pick up again after this structural change. Our vaccine development continues to go very well and we are reaching milestone after milestone. This reorganization will not affect our working methods internally and we will continue our dedicated work in the same way,” says Maria Alriksson, CEO at Abera.

Featured photo of Maria Alriksson, CEO, Abera