MERZ-THERAPEUTICS
11.8.2021 10:02:13 CEST | Business Wire | Press release
wMerz Therapeutics, a business of the Merz Group and a leader in the field of neurotoxins, and the Israeli start-up Vensica Therapeutics Ltd., a urology company, announced today that they have entered into a strategic license and collaboration agreement for the delivery of botulinum neurotoxin A (Xeomin®) ) to the bladder wall by using Vensica’s innovative ultrasound-assisted delivery catheter. By this, Merz Therapeutics becomes the exclusive toxin supplier of any needleless application for urological indications, such as overactive bladder, neurogenic bladder and interstitial cystitis and other urology indications.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210811005052/en/
Stefan Brinkmann, CEO Merz Therapeutics: “This strategic, long-term partnership with the Israeli Start-up Vensica allows us to expand into the attractive market of overactive bladder. It perfectly reflects the potential and capabilities of our neurotoxin platform for the development of sizeable non-movement disorder indications, pursuing our promise to create better outcomes for more patients. We strongly believe in the innovative and less invasive treatment of bladder diseases using Vensica’s ultrasound-assisted delivery catheter and are therefore looking forward to bringing this new treatment option to the patients together with our partner Vensica.”
Vensica CEO, Avner Geva commented, “We are very excited about our strategic partnership with Merz. By licensing Merz’s Botulinum Toxin A, Xeomin® , we’ve achieved an important milestone in our journey to changing the lives of urological patients. We hope that together with Merz, we will be able to provide, needle-less and minimal invasive procedures to over 85 million patients around the world, enabling them to benefit from a minimal discomfort, anesthesia-free, outpatient experience. The partnership with Merz, which includes not only exclusive licensing of Xeomin® , but also development support, enables us to accelerate our clinical trials and regulatory process. We are thrilled Merz realized the potential and need and chose to invest in innovative medical technologies that can benefit patients worldwide.”
“The collaboration with Vensica is a great example for our Merz Corporate Venture Capital Initiative,” states Jörg Bergler, COO Merz Group. “Here, we are investing globally in companies who are pursuing innovative, breakthrough science. As an experienced partner, we are not only granting Vensica access to our toxin but also offer know-how and experience for the development and preparation of the regulatory approval process in an advisory capacity."
The long-term partnership includes Merz’s intention to participate and invest in Vensica. Under the terms of the agreement, Merz already received, in addition to royalties, equity shares from Vensica with the option for further investment in the upcoming years and will be represented with a seat in the Board of Directors. Vensica will be responsible for the pre-clinical and clinical development of the needleless device and will prepare and file the marketing approval application. Upon the marketing approval, Merz will be responsible for the manufacturing and supply of Xeomin® (incobotulinumtoxinA) and Vensica will manage commercial activities worldwide, except of Japan.
Vensica’s proprietary ultrasound-assisted drug delivery system is an innovative minimally invasive solution to urology. The system enables needleless delivery of drugs to the bladder wall in a simple and quick procedure. The platform drives treatment from the surgical center to the private clinics, as it removes the need for a highly trained urologist, staff, and anesthesia. The unique delivery profile enables uniform delivery of the neurotoxin to greater area of the bladder wall, which may increase its efficacy, such as earlier onset and longer effect. The device is at clinical development stage by Vensica Therapeutics an Israeli based company.
Xeomin® is being distributed by Merz Pharmaceuticals GmbH in more than 70 countries to treat patients with upper and lower limb spasticity, cervical dystonia, blepharospasm or hypersalivation. Merz uses state-of-the-art technology in its dedicated facility in Dessau, Germany, meeting the highest international standards for biologic manufacturing. The highly purified neurotoxin, the only active ingredient in Xeomin® , is made by removing complexing proteins from botulinum toxin type A, which is produced by Clostridium botulinum, using purification technology developed by Merz Pharma GmbH & Co. KGaA. The lack of complexing proteins enables Xeomin® to reduce the production of neutralizing antibodies capable of lowering efficacy.
About Merz Therapeutics
Merz Therapeutics, a business of Merz Pharmaceuticals GmbH, is dedicated to improving the lives of patients around the world. With its relentless research, development, and culture of innovation, Merz Therapeutics strives to serve unmet patient needs and realize better outcomes. Merz Therapeutics seeks to address the unique needs of people who suffer from movement disorders, neurological conditions, liver disease, and other health conditions that severely impact patients’ quality of life. Merz Therapeutics is headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany and is represented in more than 90 countries, with a North America affiliate based in Raleigh, North Carolina. Merz Pharmaceuticals GmbH is part of the Merz Group, a privately held, family-owned company that has dedicated more than 110 years to developing innovations that meet patient and customer needs.
About Vensica Therapeutics Ltd.
Vensica is a urology therapeutics company based out of Israel. The company is developing a unique platform for drug delivery for several urinary bladder indications, based on a proprietary ultrasound-assisted drug delivery system. The company was founded in 2015 by Avner Geva, (Yale, B.Sc, Technion, M.Sc) and is led and backed by medical and therapeutic’s leaders, including chairman M.D., Ph.D, Nissim Darvish, Lew Pell, Laborie and The Trendlines Group.
About Merz
Merz Group is a global, diversified company based in Frankfurt, Germany, with the three businesses Merz Aesthetics, Merz Therapeutics and Merz Consumer Care. The company is family-owned for over 112 years and is distinguished by its commitment to innovation, long-term perspective, and focus on profitable growth. In fiscal year 2019/20 (June 30), Merz generated revenue of EUR 981.5 million. The company employs 3,212 people in 28 countries worldwide. To learn more, please visit www.merz.com .
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210811005052/en/
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
SPIE Awards $351,000 in Scholarships to 85 Students Shaping the Future of Optics and Photonics28.5.2026 20:15:00 CEST | Press release
Annual scholarship program builds foundation for photonics industry’s next generation SPIE, the international society of optics and photonics, announced awarding $351,000 in scholarships that will provide support to 85 SPIE Student Members studying optics, photonics, or a related field. The scholarships range from $3,000 to $11,000 and awardees are selected by the SPIE Scholarship Committee from a roster of applicants. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260528142502/en/ “I am deeply passionate about advancing the inclusion of women and other underrepresented groups in the fields of optics and photonics, which makes it especially meaningful to be recognized as a recipient,” said Alana Gonzales, who received a $10,000 Women in Optics Scholarship. “Being able to apply this scholarship toward tuition, fees, and essential academic expenses such as books and electronics will both ease the financial burden of the final
Rubedo’s RLS-1496 Reduces Actinic Keratosis Pre-Cancerous Skin Lesions by 46% at Four Weeks with Minimal Irritation in Preliminary Results of Phase 1b/2a Study28.5.2026 14:30:00 CEST | Press release
RLS-1496 is an investigational, first-in-class, disease-modifying, selective glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) modulator that targets pathologic senescent and other stressed, aging cells that drive chronic, age-dependent diseases, such as AK, and represents a novel drug category — Adaptive SenoTherapeutics In recognition of May as Skin Cancer Awareness Month, Rubedo is calling attention to the myths and facts surrounding AKs — and to the urgent need for a new generation of treatments that are effective without the side-effect burden of today's options Rubedo Life Sciences, Inc. (Rubedo), an AI-driven, clinical-stage biotech focused on selective cellular rejuvenation medicines targeting aging cells, today announced preliminary results from a Phase 1b/2a study of RLS-1496 in patients with actinic keratosis (AK), a common age-related condition resulting in precancerous skin lesions, that is most commonly seen after age 65.1 The open-label multi-center trial, conducted in the United States,
ExaGrid Wins 5 Industry Awards at Network Computing Awards 202628.5.2026 14:00:00 CEST | Press release
ExaGrid named “Company of the Year” for seventh year in a row ExaGrid®, the world’s largest independent backup storage vendor providing Tiered Backup Storage with the most Comprehensive Security and AI-Powered Retention Time-Lock for Ransomware Recovery, today announced that company was honored with five industry awards, including Air-gapped Ransomware Recovery Product of the Year, Bench Tested Product of the Year, Company of the Year, Data Protection Product of the Year, and the Storage Product of the Year during the Network Computing Awards ceremony, held in London on May 21, 2026. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260528849813/en/ The ExaGrid team headed to the stage five times throughout the Network Computing Awards ceremony in London to accept awards for ExaGrid Tiered Backup Storage. Photo courtesy of Network Computing Awards. The Network Computing Awards are determined by public vote. The 2026 awards mark
Ardoq Launches AI-First Enterprise Architecture Platform28.5.2026 14:00:00 CEST | Press release
Custom Agents, Omnipresent AI Assistant, and AI Import Builder Automate an Estimated 40% of Routine EA Work; Tenneco Already Achieving 292% ROI on Ardoq AI Ardoq, named a 5x Leader in the Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Enterprise Architecture Tools, today launched its AI-first enterprise architecture (EA) platform. The release grounds every Ardoq AI output in customers' live architecture data and introduces a new generation of AI agents capable of automating an estimated 40% of routine EA work. Architects today are being asked to defend decisions that generic AI is generating in seconds. Application rationalization choices. ERP transformation roadmaps. AI governance reviews. The questions land on the architect's desk, but the analysis underneath increasingly comes from AI assistants that do not know the architecture. Generic agents reason on whatever document is in front of them, not on the live relationships between applications, dependencies, capabilities, and risks. Ask a generic LLM
European DataWarehouse Launches DealDox®, a Next-Generation Virtual Data Room Built specifically for the Securitisation Market28.5.2026 14:00:00 CEST | Press release
European DataWarehouse (EDW) announced today the launch of DealDox®, a secure virtual data room uniquely tailored to the needs of the securitisation and structured finance market. Developed in response to long‑standing challenges around transaction data and document management, DealDox provides a single, secure environment where all parties throughout the deal lifecycle can collaborate efficiently while maintaining high standards of security, governance, and regulatory alignment. DealDox enables the centralised management of transaction data and documentation, offering robust security, granular access controls, and clear audit trails. The platform integrates seamlessly with EDW’s existing regulatory reporting ecosystem, supporting smoother workflows from deal preparation through to disclosure and compliance. “As a market infrastructure, our role is to reduce complexity and make processes simpler and more transparent for all participants,” said Dr. Christian Thun, CEO of European DataWa
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom