Leuven – 18 March 2024
Biotalys, a pioneer in the development of protein-based biocontrol products for sustainable crop protection, has entered into a long term collaboration agreement with Novonesis, a global leader in biosolutions, concerning the production, global supply, and certain commercialization rights of EVOCA NG, the next generation of Biotalys’ product candidate EVOCA™*. Being a supporter from the very start, which was confirmed by an additional investment of 5 MEUR only as recently as June 2023, AIF applauds this accomplishment as it fits perfectly with its mission to bring new innovative solutions to farmers at a commercially viable cost.
Development of innovative and sustainable crop protection solutions
EVOCA NG is a biofungicide candidate with the same active ingredient as Biotalys’ first-generation EVOCA, but with an optimized production process and formulation enabling commercialization of the product at competitive levels. EVOCA and EVOCA NG aim to provide fruit and vegetable growers with an efficacious new crop protection product to help control the devastating fungal diseases Botrytis and powdery mildew.
A partnership bringing Biotalys to the next level
Biotalys and Novonesis are completing the manufacturing process development phase for EVOCA NG. This includes an investment by Novonesis to facilitate the scale up in production capacity to support global commercialization. The companies will also be commercial partners in the distribution and sale of EVOCA NG for select crops outside of the United States. Biotalys will receive a royalty on Novonesis’ net sales of EVOCA NG for all covered territories. The agreed royalty percentage is a premium for the sector reflecting the uniqueness of the AGROBODY technology for sustainable crop protection. The efficacy of this new mode of action has been confirmed through multi-year field trials, and through the granting of a separate FRAC**-code for EVOCA.
In addition, the companies will explore future collaborations involving Biotalys’ promising AGROBODY™ technology platform, including potential combinations with Novonesis’ biocontrol technology.
Kevin Helash, Chief Executive Officer of Biotalys, stated: “Novonesis is a well-respected international leader in the field of biosolutions. We are fortunate to have the opportunity to collaborate with them on producing EVOCA NG, enabling us to introduce the innovative AGROBODY technology to our global customers. This is an important step forward for Biotalys as we lay the foundation for future commercial launches from our AGROBODY 2.0 technology platform.”
In line with AIF’s mission
Pending registration, Biotalys is taking an important step with this agreement to bring its products to market, says Patrik Haesen, CEO of AIF: “Biotalys has already proven the efficacity of its EVOCA product. Being now able to commercialize the product with a positive margin is a major step for the unique technology platform of Biotalys. AIF has been supporting Biotalys from the beginning and we believe that the innovative products of Biotalys can provide farmers in Belgium and the rest of the world new necessary tools to protect their crops at acceptable costs while reducing the impact on the environment.”
* EVOCA™: Pending Registration. This product is not currently registered for sale or use in the United States, the European Union, or elsewhere and is not being offered for sale.
** FRAC: Fungicide Resistance Action Committee
About Biotalys
Biotalys is an Agricultural Technology (AgTech) company developing protein-based biocontrol solutions for the protection of crops and food and aiming to provide alternatives to conventional chemical pesticides for a more sustainable and safer food supply. Based on its novel AGROBODY™ technology platform, Biotalys is developing a strong and diverse pipeline of effective product candidates with a favorable safety profile that aim to address key crop pests and diseases across the whole value chain, from soil to plate. Biotalys was founded in 2013 as a spin-off from the VIB (Flanders Institute for Biotechnology) and has been listed on Euronext Brussels since July 2021. The company is based in the biotech cluster in Ghent, Belgium. More information can be found on www.biotalys.com .
About AIF
Agri Investment Fund BV (“AIF”) is the private equity and venture capital fund of the group Boerenbond (Farmers’ Union) and wishes through its investments to contribute directly or indirectly to a stronger and more sustainable agriculture and horticulture in Flanders and German speaking Belgium. Its investments have a focus within the Ag-Tech and Agro-Food domains aiming at stimulating innovation and as such helping to build a stronger agriculture of the future, allowing farmers and horticulturists to provide high-quality products at honest prices. More information can be found on www.aifund.be .
For further information, please contact:
AIF
Patrik Haesen, CEO
T: +32 (0)16 28 62 54 | E: pers@aifund.be
Biotalys
Toon Musschoot, Head of IR & Communication
T: +32 (0)9 274 54 00 | E: IR@biotalys.com
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