BRIEF—Karolinska spies value in Dilafor pipeline

Swedish life sciences investor Karolinska Development is to up the book value of its 31% holding in portfolio company Dilafor, based on an external valuation.

Positive results from a Phase IIb trial of tafoxiparin have led the firm to conclude the value should increase by 450 million Swedish kroner ($52 million).

Tafoxiparin is being trialled as an option for pregnant women, to ripen the cervix and thereby facilitate the onset of labor.

About a quarter of all pregnant women are subject to labor induction, but more than half of these treatments fail. This leads to a prolonged birth process that increases the need for a cesarean section and the risk of complications in both mother and child.

According to market analyses, Karolinska said that the potential market for such a therapy could be up to a billion dollars in the USA.