A new VC fund raised by the Netherlands firm, BioGeneration Ventures, has attracted pharma corporate and private investors and is now one of the largest-ever funds focused on making seed investments in European biotech companies.

Amgen ended its own development of the CETP inhibitor AMG 899, but will see if anyone else wants to license the drug. Meanwhile, the company is focusing on new drugs and assets in development to offset declining sales for Enbrel and other blockbusters.

Dutch life sciences venture capital firm BioGeneration Ventures has exceeded the €50m target in a third closing of its BGV III fund, raising €66m. It intends to focus its investments on firms in the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany, and expects to secure further funds, reaching the maximum fund size of €75m by the end of 2017.

Sander Slootweg, managing partner and co-founder of Forbion Capital Partners, talks venture capital trends, industrial changes to watch, deal making and challenges faced during his years investing in the life science industry in the latest instalment of Scrip's executive profile series.