Hogan Lovells assisted Helsinn Investment Fund S.A., backed by the Swiss pharmaceutical group Helsinn and focused on supporting early stage opportunities in areas of high unmet patient need, in its €2 million investment in GreenBone Ortho S.r.l., a privately-held developer of bone regeneration technology, based in Faenza, Italy.

The investment made by Helsinn Investment Fund, part of a wider fundraising, will be mainly used by GreenBone Ortho S.r.l. to complete by 2019 clinical development conducted in load bearing bone defects, receive CE Mark and for other general corporate purposes.

Helsinn Investment Fund was set up to draw on over 40 years’ expertise in research and development and commercialization of therapeutic candidates in cancer care, pain and inflammation and gastroenterology, and with the aim of financially supporting companies working across a range of areas in healthcare to develop early-stage technologies in areas of unmet patient need, and thereby of improving the everyday lives of patients.

Founded in 2014, GreenBone Ortho S.r.l. has developed a patented, innovative, wood-derived, bone regenerative implant for extensive bone damage in non-loaded and load-bearing skeletal segments such as long bone non-union fractures, spinal damage, trauma and cancer induced bone loss. Due to its structure and chemical composition, GreenBone has the ideal biomimetic, resorbable and regenerative properties for bone grafting.

GreenBone is expected to provide patients new functional bone, increasing their quality of life dramatically, while reducing healthcare and social costs that are typically high for such patients.

Hogan Lovells' team was led by corporate partner Francesco Stella, supported by senior associate Fabio Caviglia. Assistance involved advice on intellectual property aspects, which are key to the success of the start-up, handled by counsel Riccardo Fruscalzo.