Argenx

Argenx is a biotechnology company developing a wide range of differentiated therapies to treat serious autoimmune diseases and cancer. Several of these antibody-based therapies are now in clinical phase.

Argenx is focused on developing products that have the potential to be either first-in-class against novel targets or best-in-class against known but complex targets. In this way, the company aims to enable the treatment of conditions that are hitherto untreatable or insufficiently treatable. To this end, the company relies on a range of differentiated technologies.

The SIMPLE Antibody™ platform, based on the powerful immune system of llamas, allows argenx to exploit new and complex targets. In addition, three antibody engineering technologies were specifically designed to broaden the therapeutic index of candidate products.

Since early 2022, with Vyvgart, a drug against the rare muscle disease myasthenia gravis, argenx has a first drug available in the US and Japanese markets. In August, Vyvgart also received approval for the European market.

Driven by VIB, the company moved its research activities to the Artevelde city and in 2011 argenx settled in Ghent. Two years later, PMV joined the shareholding. The company had been on PMV’s radar for some time by then.

In July 2014, argenx raised 42 million euros in its IPO on Euronext Brussels and entered into a solid partnership with pharma company Shire, which also joined the capital. Existing shareholders, including PMV, again supported the story.

In May 2017, argenx then crossed the ocean to list on the US technology exchange Nasdaq, the mecca of biotech.  US investors, as well as European ones, ran wild and argenx smoothly raised $100 million, far more than the targeted $60 million. This transaction was also backed by PMV.