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Themis Raises EUR 40 Million in Series D Financing Round Backed by US/EU Consortium to Support Pivotal Study and Expand Clinical Pipeline

Themis well-funded through completion of Chikungunya Phase 3 program

Themis announced today the closing of a Series D financing round totaling EUR 40 million (USD 44 million). The round was co-led by new investors, Farallon Capital and Hadean Ventures. MSD (tradename of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., USA) and Adjuvant Capital, as well as current investors Global Health Investment Fund, aws Gruenderfonds, Omnes Capital, Ventech and Wellington Partners Life Sciences, also participated. The proceeds from this Series D round will be used to accelerate the company’s pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial program for its Chikungunya vaccine and to support further expansion into oncology indications using its proprietary measles vaccine vector platform. Concurrent with the financing, Dr. Walter Stockinger, Managing Partner at Hadean Ventures, will join Themis’ Supervisory Board.

“The commitment from our new investors Farallon Capital, Adjuvant Capital and Hadean Ventures as well as MSD is a validation of Themis’ achievements and the potential of our platform. This round enables us to continue implementing our strategy to develop novel vaccines and therapeutic candidates for numerous infectious diseases and oncology indications,” said Erich Tauber, MD, CEO of Themis. “The capital will primarily facilitate the progress of our lead vaccine candidate for Chikungunya towards the market as well as fund the further development of our oncology franchise. I would like to thank our current investors for their continued support and also welcome Walter to our Board.”

“We are excited about joining a world-class syndicate to support the development of a vaccine that will prevent a devastating disease in millions of people,” stated Walter Stockinger, MS, PhD, Managing Partner of Hadean Ventures. “Clearly, the uniqueness of the platform technology as well as the quality of the management were major criteria for our investment decision. We are looking forward to working with Erich and his colleagues towards achieving approval of the Chikungunya vaccine in the shortest possible time.”

Themis’ lead program is a vaccine for Chikungunya, a debilitating disease with global outbreak potential, developed using its measles vaccine vector platform. The vaccine candidate, MV-CHIK, is Phase 3-ready with the pivotal global Phase 3 trial initiation expected in the next few months. The company’s other vaccine programs include those for Zika and Lassa Fever, which are currently being studied in Phase 1 clinical trials, and for Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), Cytomegalovirus (CMV), Norovirus and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), which are in pre-clinical studies. Themis recently announced a collaboration with MSD to develop undisclosed vaccine candidates. In 2018, the company initiated its immuno-oncology portfolio with the first therapeutic candidate to enter clinical studies this year.

About the New Investors

Farallon Capital Management, L.L.C. is a global institutional investment management firm founded in 1986. Farallon manages approximately US$ 28 billion in capital for institutions, including college endowments, charitable foundations, pension plans and sovereign wealth funds, and for high net worth individuals. Farallon is headquartered in San Francisco and has offices in London, Singapore, Hong Kong, Tokyo and São Paulo.

Hadean Ventures is an Oslo and Stockholm-based life science fund manager that invests in life science companies across Europe with a particular focus on under-ventured regions. Hadean’s funds are backed by leading European and US-based private and institutional investors.

Adjuvant is a New York-based life sciences fund built to accelerate the development of new technologies for the world’s most pressing public health challenges. Backed by prominent investors such as the International Finance Corporation, Novartis, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Adjuvant draws upon a global network of scientists, public health experts, biopharmaceutical industry veterans, and development finance professionals to identify and execute upon new investment opportunities. Adjuvant finances promising new vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics, and medical devices for historically overlooked indications such as malaria, cholera, Lassa fever, and postpartum hemorrhage, among others, with a commitment to make these interventions accessible to those who need them most in low- and middle-income countries.

About Themis

Themis is developing immunomodulation therapies for infectious diseases and cancer. Through advanced understanding of immune system mechanisms, the Company has built a sophisticated and versatile technology platform for the discovery, development and production of vaccines as well as other immune system activation approaches. Initially focused on preventing infectious diseases, Themis has demonstrated the potential of its versatile platform through the rapid and successful completion of Phase 2 and near-term entry into Phase 3 clinical development for a vaccine against Chikungunya, a debilitating disease with global outbreak potential. Funded to date by leading venture capital firms, Themis has also gained prestigious non-dilutive funding for emerging infectious disease indications. The Company will apply its platform and commercial manufacturing capabilities to diseases with high market potential both alone and for its partners. For more information, visit http://www.themisbio.com.

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