VERAXA Biotech AG (NASDAQ: VRXA)

VERAXA Biotech has successfully concluded a business combination with Voyager Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ: VACH) and began trading on the NASDAQ Capital Market under the ticker symbol ‘VRXA’ on June 11, 2026.

VERAXA Biotech AG (NASDAQ: VRXA) is a biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of a new generation of antibody-based therapeutics for the treatment of solid tumors. VERAXA’s vision is to deliver the next wave of smart cancer therapies with curative potential and improved safety profiles.

The company is building a pipeline that includes dual-targeting antibody-drug conjugates (“ADCs”) and T-cell engagers (“TCEs”) predominantly based on its patented BiTAC concept. This concept is designed to improve the precision, safety, and effectiveness of cancer treatments. Through its focus on potentially first-in-class conditionally active ADC and TCE platforms, VERAXA is positioned within two rapidly growing segments of the global oncology therapeutics market.

The biopharma industry is increasingly focusing on enhancing the therapeutic window of next-generation ADCs and TCEs by refining their tumor selectivity, conditional activation, and dose optimization. This shift—driven by clinical data demonstrating improved safety profiles and the potential for higher, more effective dosing—reflects a broader movement toward safer, more tolerable, and patient-friendly cancer therapies, ultimately aiming to unlock the full potential of these modalities especially in solid tumor settings.

VERAXA is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, with its R&D hub located in Heidelberg, Germany.

Pipeline

Central to VERAXA’s strategy is the application of its proprietary technology concept BiTAC (Bi-targeted Tumor-Associated Cytotoxicity), which enables the generation of conditionally active, AND-gated therapeutic candidates that precisely target cancer cells while leaving healthy cells intact. VERAXA is currently advancing a pipeline of early development programs with a focus on solid tumors. The most advanced program, a BiTAC-TCE targeting EpCAM and another tumor antigen has recently entered preclinical development. More detailed information on these early-stage assets is expected to emerge in the months following the NASDAQ listing.

VX-A901

VX-A901, a clinical-stage, monoclonal antibody therapy targeting FLT3 for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (“AML”) is currently VERAXA’s most-advanced program.

The antibody is designed to enhance antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (“ADCC”), a mechanism that helps direct immune cells against cancer cells.

The program is intended to address the need for additional treatment options for elderly AML patients or patients who are not eligible for intensive chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation. VX-A901 has a distinct and complementary mechanism of action, independent of the patient’s FLT3 mutation status and could be combined with first-line therapy. Phase I results show that VX-A901 was safe and well tolerated in AML patients, with promising signs of monotherapy efficacy observed in heavily pre-treated patients. VERAXA has decided to out-license the future development and commercialization of the program due to the increasing focus on AND-gated modalities for the treatment of solid tumor indications.

BiTAC Platform

BiTAC (Bi-targeted Tumor-Associated Cytotoxicity) is VERAXA’s proprietary underlying concept of a new generation of dual-targeting antibodies with enhanced safety and efficacy characteristics. Unlike conventional bispecific antibodies that combine two target specificities within a single molecule, BiTAC splits the therapeutic candidate into two complementary molecules.

Any therapeutic effect is activated only when both molecules localize on the same tumor cell. VERAXA is applying this architecture to both TCE and ADC development programs with the goal of improving tumor selectivity, reducing damage to healthy tissues and thereby expanding the safety-to-efficacy ratio (therapeutic index).

Initial data from VERAXA’s most advanced BiTAC-TCE program were presented at the recent American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2026 in San Diego, CA.  VERAXA’s BiTAC-TCE candidate performed as intended, attacking cancer cells featuring both target molecules while sparing cells expressing just one of these targets. In vivo data demonstrated a superior safety profile and matching efficacy compared to a conventional TCE, pointing to the possibility of a significantly improved therapeutic index.

Other ADC Technologies

VERAXA has developed a suite of technologies based on their proprietary biorthogonal click chemistry to innovate industry-leading ADC therapeutics. This includes a proprietary hydrophilic payload-linker platform, utilizing tumor-selective linkers, and glycan engineering-based click conjugation to site-specifically attach the payload to the antibody. Furthermore, the payload platform includes a proprietary prodrug approach of highly potent toxins, also based on tumor-selective activation. Through the combination of these technologies, VERAXA’s ADCs display favorable pharmacokinetics and offer an opportunity to enhance the safety-to-efficacy ratio of current ADCs. Initial data from VERAXA’s most advanced ADC program were presented at the recent American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2026 in San Diego, CA.

Market Opportunity

VERAXA’s development strategy is centered on antibody-drug conjugates and bispecific T cell engagers, two areas of oncology therapeutics that have attracted significant industry attention due to their potential to improve treatment precision, efficacy, and safety. As the company advances programs across both categories, it is operating within markets that are expected to experience substantial long-term growth and deal activity.

The global antibody-drug conjugates market was valued at approximately $12.26 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach approximately $32.11 billion by 2033, according to Grand View Research, representing a compound annual growth rate of 10.49% from 2025 through 2033. The firm attributes this growth to increasing cancer prevalence and growing demand for targeted therapies designed to improve efficacy while reducing systemic toxicity.

According to Precedence Research, the global bispecific antibodies market is estimated at approximately $17.99 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach approximately $603.13 billion by 2035, representing a compound annual growth rate of 42.08% from 2025 through 2034.

Leadership Team

Christoph Antz, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, is an experienced life sciences executive and former venture capital manager with expertise spanning drug development, diagnostics and scientific instrumentation. Prior to co-founding VERAXA, he served as managing director of Acousia Therapeutics and Luxendo, where he helped lead companies focused on inner-ear therapeutics and advanced microscopy technologies.

Torsten Bürgermeister, Chief Financial Officer, brings more than 20 years of finance and business development experience across life science and technology companies. Before joining VERAXA, he held leadership positions with Molecular Health, BASF Pharma, Techem Energy Services and Colt Telecom, and holds a diploma in business administration from DHBW Mannheim.

Rick Austin, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer, has extensive experience in oncology drug discovery and T-cell engager development. Prior to joining VERAXA, he served as vice president of research at Harpoon Therapeutics and previously held scientific leadership positions at Amgen and Tularik, contributing to multiple tumor immunology programs, IND filings and first-in-human studies while authoring more than 25 peer-reviewed publications and contributing to 12 issued patents.

Heinz Schwer, Ph.D., MBA, Chief Business Officer, is a serial biotechnology entrepreneur and former venture capital investor. Before joining VERAXA, he served as general partner at EMBL Ventures and previously held chief executive roles at ViraTherapeutics, Lanthio Pharma and Sloning BioTechnology, each of which was subsequently acquired by larger industry participants.

Christoph Erkel, Ph.D., Vice President of Research & Development, has more than 15 years of experience in early-stage drug discovery, with expertise spanning discovery, engineering, and preclinical development of antibodies. Prior to VERAXA, he held several positions of increasing responsibility in R&D at MorphoSys AG, where he led immuno-oncology programs focused on conditionally active T-cell engagers for the treatment of solid and hematologic tumors.