Hemerion

Hemerion Therapeutics is a French clinical-stage healthtech company focused on the discovery and development of innovative therapies that combine photosensitizing molecules and laser light technologies.

This combination product strategy is aimed at the selective treatment of resistant tumors. More specifically, the company is positioned in oncology and has dedicated its first “best-in-class” drug-device combination program to target glioblastoma as its first indication.

Glioblatoma (GBM) is the most common malignant brain tumour in adults with 156,000 worldwide new cases per year and that kills patient within 16 months. Our first-in-class therapeutic is a promising strategy to significantly improve GBM care management though its unique properties:

1. It combines a photonic device (Heliance®Solution) and a drug (Pentalafen®), a photosensitizing agent, which has a therapeutic effect when illuminated with red light.
2. It is a breakthrough one-time intervention enabling destruction of residual tumour cells, responsible of tumour recurrence, following surgery resection.
3. It is harmless for healthy tissues as Pentalafen® preferentially accumulates in tumour cells to selectively destroy them.

All in all, the innovation is a novel and safe mechanism of action significantly improving GBM upfront care management by only adding 30 min to current care workflow.

A unique technology and mechanism of action against cancer

Hemerion therapeutic solutions are based on a photosensitizing drug (Pentalafen®), administered to the patient before surgery, and an exclusive photonic system (Heliance®).

This unique drug-device combination therapy selectively destroys cancer cells, in areas inaccessible to classic surgery, without harming healthy tissues. It has thus the potential to significantly improve both survival and quality of life in patients.

Hemerion technologies seamlessly fits in the current standard of care and complements existing treatment options : surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, etc.

A solution to a critical unmet medical need

Glioblastoma is the most common and most aggressive primary brain tumor, with a median overall survival (OS) of 15 months and a progression free survival (PFS) of 7 months only.

Glioblastoma (GBM) causes 120 000 deaths a year worldwide. 47 000 patients per year in Europe and in the US are newly diagnosed harboring a GBM. 

Current treatment options (surgery, followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy) slow the progression of the disease and reduce the symptoms but fail to offer genuine therapeutic solutions.

Hemerion brings a novel therapeutic solution that complements the current standard of care, based on surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. 

A small footprint in the patient’s journey… but with promising outcomes 

Hemerion technology perfectly fits into the current glioblastoma standard of care and require only 2 steps with minimum impact in the patient’s journey.

1. 6 hours before the surgical procedure, the patient is given a drug : Pentalafen®. The Pentalafen rapidly accumulates in cancer cells.
2. After the surgery, the neurosurgeon lights the surgical cavity with the dedicated Heliance diffuser and controller. The light activates the drug inside the cancer cells. These cells are destroyed wherever the light penetrates, up to 1 cm around the cavity. 

The whole process only adds 30 minutes to a procedure that lasts on average 5 to 6 hours.

A neurosurgery team can be trained to use the Hemerion technology in one day only.

A clear regulatory and marketing strategy

With Orphan Drug Designation granted in the EU and the US, two clinical trials already completed in the EU and an ongoing industry sponsored trial in the US, Hemerion has already successfully gone through regulatory procedures. 

Thanks to specific accelerated program from the FDA and EMA our clinical and regulatory track records will be a stepping stone to launch our premium therapy under orphan exclusivity as early as 2028.

Having raised more than €7 million since the inception of the company in 2020, we are now raising a new round of equity financing of €6 million. This new round of financing will prepare the future of our pivotal study towards a market approval.

This new capital raise offers a great investment option with a de-risked opportunity amenable to high returns thanks to a straightforward and profitable drug/device combo that will attract strategic interest upon market approval.