Affirma Biotech, CataloniaBio & HealthTech member, announced today the closing of its seed capital round with a total of 600,000 euros that the company will invest in the optimization of its preclinical candidates. During the past year a total amount of 960.000 euros in funding has been raised by the company from several business angels with extensive experience in the biotech industry. The lead investors of this round are Alfons Hidalgo (founder of Infinitec), Luis Ruiz Avila and Reig Jofre Investments, among others. Affirma Biotech also has Start-up Capital grant from Acció. 

The company discovered a new family of orally administered drugs that are currently being optimized and that will be developed as new antivirals for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B virus infection, as well as other unresolved infections. Chronic hepatitis B is currently the most prevalent viral infection worldwide. More than 290 million patients are chronically infected with this virus that is currently the main cause of liver cancer, one of those with the worst prognosis. The burden of the disease is estimated at approximately 1 million deaths each year. 

Maribel Berges, founder and CEO of the company, emphasizes the importance of developing new therapeutic tools against viral infections "that will contribute to solve these increasingly urgent global sanitary challenges. We think that our innovative approach will be key to improve the treatment of diseases that today do not have a complete medical solution". The company's goal is to start clinical trials within the next two years.

Affirma Biotech was incorporated in September 2020 by Maribel Berges and Joan Feixas to develop new treatments against chronic infections.

Photo: Maribel Berges, founder and CEO of Affirma Biotech