Ascendis Pharma
Established: 2007
Country: Denmark
Region: Hellerup
Investors: Sofinnova, Gilde, Gilde Healthcare
Ascendis Pharma identifies existing drugs that can be improved to target unmet medical needs using its proprietary TransCon technology platform. Venture capital investment helped the Copenhagen-headquartered business to broaden its pipeline, position itself in the field of high-value drugs, and ultimately advance suitable candidates into clinical trials.
The result has been a number of treatments targeting endocrinology rare diseases, including Growth Hormone Deficiency and Achodroplasia, a skeletal disease that is the most common form of dwarfism. The first of its approved products is a paediatric medicine being marketed in the US as a growth hormone replacement for children. The company is also developing a pipeline of drugs in oncology and has partnered with some of its existing VC backers on VISEN Pharmaceuticals, a new venture to develop and launch products in China.
$156m
in VC funding rounds
$373m
valuation at 2015 float on Nasdaq
639
employees in 2021, risen from just 55
Key achievements
US approval for SKYTROFA, a growth hormone replacement for children
Strategic investment alongside existing VC backers in new Chinese endocrinology-focused venture VISEN Pharmaceuticals in 2018
Floated in 2015 on Nasdaq at $373m valuation1, rising to market cap of almost $5bn in 20222
Funding history
$156m in VC funding rounds3
Raised $108m in Nasdaq IPO and $1.58bn in subsequent placements4
Employment impact
Increased employee numbers from 55 to 639 in eight years to 20215
Find out more
1. https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/ascendis-pharma/company_financials
2. https://finance.yahoo.com/quote/ASND/
3. Preqin
4. Preqin
5. https://www.macrotrends.net/stocks/charts/ASND/ascendis-pharma/number-of-employees
Investors
