BRIEF—$57 million financing for Danish vaccine firm

Danish vaccine specialist MinervaX has raised 47 million euros ($57 million) in a series B financing round, featuring new investors such as Sanofi Ventures and Wellington Partners, as well as existing backers like the Novo Holdings REPAIR Impact Fund.

The firm, which is working on a novel vaccine against Group B Streptococcus (GBS), said it would use the money to advance the candidate through Phase II clinical trials, as well as manufacturing and regulatory preparation for Phase III.

Chief executive Per Fischer said: “Prevention of GBS infections in pregnant women and newborns represents a large unmet medical need.”

He added: “The current preventive strategy is insufficient and involves excessive use of prophylactic antibiotics, which has resulted in the emergence of wide-spread antibiotic resistance.”