Hyderabad's NATCO Pharma Raises Investment in Pig-Organ Transplant Firm eGenesis to $16.7 Million

Hyderabad-based NATCO Pharma Limited has increased its planned investment in US biotech company eGenesis from $14 million to $16.70 million, according to a disclosure filed with the stock exchanges under SEBI's listing regulations.

With this round, NATCO's total investment in eGenesis rises to $24.70 million. The drug maker first invested $8 million in 2024 through its Canadian subsidiary, NATCO Pharma (Canada) Inc. The fresh investment will be made through NATCO's wholly owned subsidiaries.

What eGenesis does

eGenesis works on xenotransplantation — transplanting organs from genetically engineered pigs into people. Its EGEN platform edits the pig genome to reduce the risk of immune rejection and to remove the risk of passing on pig viruses.

In March 2024 the company carried out the first transplant of a gene-edited pig kidney into a living patient under the US FDA's expanded-access pathway, and it has since completed pig-kidney transplants in two more patients.

Why it matters

eGenesis is developing programmes in kidney transplantation, acute liver failure and heart transplantation. Organ shortage is acute in India too, where tens of thousands of patients wait for kidneys and livers each year, so advances in xenotransplantation are being watched closely by transplant surgeons here.