ViroVet BVBA, a privately owned company focused on the discovery, licensing, and development of innovative biopharmaceutical products for livestock, today announced that it has commenced operations. ViroVet is a spin-out of Aratana Therapeutics NV (formerly Okapi Sciences NV).
ViroVet's objective is to develop innovative technologies to improve the health and value of livestock. The new company is headquartered in Leuven, Belgium and continues to build on the livestock assets and know-how that has been accumulating since 2008 while adding new products, including vaccines, to the pipeline.
Stated Erwin Blomsma, PhD, co-founder and CEO of ViroVet "There is a general lack of disruptive technology being developed for the animal health industry overall, particularly in the production animal domain. Of the small number of new food animal products, nearly all are mere variations of products and technologies that already exist on the market. Very few new products provide novel solutions to the problems that continue to challenge the food animal industry. This is an attractive opportunity for an innovation-focused start-up."
Added Stefaan Wera, co-founder and COO of ViroVet, "ViroVet will make a jump start as it will resume and accelerate the development of its livestock solutions thanks to its seasoned team of researchers that previously turned Okapi Sciences into a success. That same team, while part of Aratana, was recognized by the European Commission as one of the most innovative start-ups and one of the very few biopharmaceutical companies to be funded through the SME instrument of Horizon 2020."
Nesya Goris, General Manager of Aratana Therapeutics NV stated, "Aratana is focused on companion animals, and the creation of ViroVet allows for the highly important food animal technologies to advance and eventually take on an independent existence."
ViroVet, focused on livestock therapeutics, and Aratana Therapeutics NV, focused on pet therapeutics, will initially be co-located and share certain services with a strategy of accessing different sources of investment capital.