< 2002 News Listings Anacor Pharmaceuticals Raises $7 Million in Venture Financing Company developing new therapeutics to combat bacterial and fungal infections PALO ALTO, Calif., October 29, 2002 Anacor Pharmaceuticals today announced it has raised $7 million in venture financing led by Rho Ventures and including investment from Aberdare Ventures. Anacor is an early-stage pharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery and development of novel antimicrobials for the treatment of serious bacterial and fungal infections. The company completed two rounds of financing totaling $7 million with both investors participating in each round. The first round totaling $3 million was completed in April 2002 with the remaining $4 million completed today. Anacor also announced today that it has been awarded a $21.6 million joint contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the United States Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC) to expedite the research and development of antibiotics for use against biowarfare agents such as anthrax (see "Anacor Pharmaceuticals Receives $21.6 Million Contract from Department of Defense"). Anacor was formed to develop technology that was initially created by co-founders Dr. Lucy Shapiro at Stanford University and Dr. Stephen Benkovic at Pennsylvania State University. The company's initial therapeutic targets are staphylococcus, streptococcus pneumoniae, anthrax, tularemia and other infectious diseases. "Anacor's mission of creating new therapeutics is important for both the treatment of common pathogens and for biowarfare defense," said Mark Leschly, Managing Partner of Rho Ventures and Chairman of Anacor's board of directors. "We believe that the company has established a great foundation to make meaningful contributions in both of these areas of biotechnology research and development." "The proliferation of drug resistant bacteria creates the need for a new class of therapeutics that can be effective in fighting resistant organisms and do not lose their efficacy over time," said Aberdare Ventures General Partner Paul Klingenstein. "The company has assembled a strong team of world-class scientists and seasoned business executives that can take its promising technology to the next stage." "We are very encouraged by the preliminary results of our research. With the strong support of our venture partners, along with the DARPA and USAMRMC contract, we believe that we can make significant contributions towards the development and discovery of novel antibiotics," said David Perry, chief executive officer of Anacor Pharmaceuticals. About Rho Ventures Rho Ventures is a venture capital firm with extensive investments in the technology, healthcare and electronic information sectors. Since it was founded in 1981, the firm has invested in numerous companies including Ciena, Commerce One, Compaq Computer, Copper Mountain, Diversa, Human Genome Sciences, Leukosite, MedImmune, Shire Pharmaceuticals and Versicor. Aggregate venture capital under management exceeds $1 billion. Additional information can be found at www.rho.com. About Aberdare Ventures Aberdare Ventures is a San Francisco-based venture capital firm with a primary focus on healthcare technologies. Although most Aberdare investments are made at the earliest stages of company development, the firm will invest, and work in close partnership with the best entrepreneurial teams, at all stages. Additional information can be found at www.aberdare.com. About Anacor Anacor Pharmaceuticals is an early-stage pharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery and development of novel antimicrobials for the treatment of serious bacterial and fungal infections. The company's technology is based on work originally conducted by Dr. Lucy Shapiro at Stanford University and Dr. Stephen Benkovic at Pennsylvania State University. Its initial therapeutic targets are staphylococcus, streptococcus pneumoniae, anthrax, tularemia and other infectious diseases. The company's research is funded in part by a joint contract from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the United States Army Medical Research and Materiel Command (USAMRMC). Privately held and based in Palo Alto, Calif., Anacor is funded by Aberdare Ventures and Rho Ventures. For more information, visit www.anacor.com.
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