Acquisition of VHH NGF programme & related assets

Animalcare

22/08/2025 07:00

RNS Number : 3420W

Animalcare Group PLC

22 August 2025

 

RNS Reach

Animalcare Group plc

("Animalcare" or the "Group" or the "Company")

 

Acquisition of VHH NGF programme and related assets from Orthros Medical

Acquisition delivers strategic value and unlocks full control of future development

 

22 August 2025. Animalcare Group plc (AIM: ANCR) announces that it has acquired the VHH NGF programme* and related assets under the licence agreement previously signed with Orthros Medical in March 2022, which has subsequently been terminated, for a cash consideration of €0.7m.

 

The current VHH NGF programme is researching the effectiveness of antibodies in the treatment of pain caused by osteoarthritis in horses and dogs. The assets under development could be complementary to Daxocox, the Group's COX-2 inhibitor approved for the treatment of osteoarthritis-related pain in dogs. In the future, as a consequence of Animalcare now owning the assets, additional programmes will be explored across a variety of species and different diseases where NGF has a role. 

 

The transaction offers value on two levels. Firstly, it provides the Group with full ownership and control of the intellectual property and associated assets, enabling independent development and commercialisation of the technology across a range of indications and species, furthering the Group's strategy to build a pipeline of innovative products. At the same time, the outstanding significant future potential financial obligations under the license agreement have been extinguished, which included development, regulatory and commercial milestones and royalties due on net sales.

 

Together with the Group's new development partner, 272Bio, a highly experienced and skilled biotherapeutics company specialising in VHH antibody technology, Animalcare is making strong progress with the lead equine asset from the VHH NGF programme, with early results reinforcing the Board's confidence in the programme's potential.

 

Animalcare is continuing to advance antibody programmes to assess the potential in additional species and new indications, which could give the Group access to innovative products in some of the largest animal health markets globally.

 

Jenny Winter, Chief Executive Officer of Animalcare Group plc said: "The acquisition of the VHH NGF programme and new partnership with 272Bio represent key building blocks in our long-term growth strategy, developing a pipeline of innovative new treatments to meet evolving customer needs within the growing global animal health market. Working with 272Bio, we have an exciting opportunity to build our future pain portfolio while exploring further potential opportunities with VHH technology in animals."

 

Enquiries

 

Animalcare Group Plc
Jenny Winter, Chief Executive Officer
 Chris Brewster, Chief Financial Officer
 Media/investor relations
+44 (0)1904 487 687
communications@animalcaregroup.com
Stifel (Nominated Advisor & Joint Broker)
Ben Maddison, Nicholas Harland, Francis North
Tel: +44 (0)20 7710 7600
Panmure Liberum (Joint Broker)
Corporate Finance -Freddy Crossley/Emma Earl
Corporate Banking -Rupert Dearden
+44 (0)20 7886 2500
Alma Strategic CommunicationsCaroline Forde, Kinvara Verdon, Rose Docherty
+44 (0)20 3405 0205
animalcare@almastrategic.com

 

About Animalcare

Animalcare Group plc is a UK AIM-listed international veterinary sales and marketing organisation. Animalcare operates in seven European countries as well as Australia, New Zealand and the UAE and exports to approximately 40 countries in Europe and worldwide. The Group is focused on bringing new and innovative products to market through its own development pipeline, partnerships and via acquisition.

 

For more information about Animalcare, please visit www.animalcaregroup.com

 

*VHH NGF programme

 

VHH antibodies are variable heavy chain antibodies (nanobodies) derived from camelids, like Llamas and Alpacas, and offer new opportunities for the research and development of innovative drug treatments for use in human and animal patients. VHH antibodies feature significant therapeutic advantages over other types of antibody. They are small, relatively easy to engineer, have high specificity and can be quickly cleared from the system thereby promising a good safety profile. VHH-based therapeutics have received regulatory approval in the human health arena.

 

Nerve Growth Factor (NGF), a neurotrophic factor and neuropeptide, has been shown to have a role in a wide range of immunological conditions, including pain and inflammation.

 

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