All-Female Biotech Startup Defies Investment Odds with Breakthrough Arthritis Drug
Netherlands, Sunday, 15 March 2026.
Dutch biotech company Amplio Pharma secured over €1.3 million in funding despite facing a stark reality: less than 3% of European venture capital reaches female-founded companies. The all-female founding team developed NovoBioJect, an innovative treatment that makes existing rheumatoid arthritis medication more effective at lower doses by keeping it in cells longer. Founded in Sweden in 2020, the company relocated to the Netherlands in 2023 after finding greater support for their healthcare vision. Their breakthrough technology combines methotrexate with novobiocin, potentially reducing side effects like nausea and fatigue while cutting healthcare costs by delaying expensive alternative treatments.
Innovative Technology Targets Cellular Retention
The company’s NovoBioMed technology addresses a fundamental problem with methotrexate, currently the most commonly prescribed basic drug for rheumatoid arthritis worldwide [2]. Between 60 and 80 percent of rheumatoid arthritis patients receive methotrexate, but the drug is driven out of cells and tissues too quickly to achieve optimal effectiveness [2]. Amplio Pharma’s solution involves adding novobiocin, which functions as a cellular lock-keeper by temporarily inhibiting the outflow pump in inflammatory cells [2]. This mechanism allows methotrexate to remain longer in the targeted cells, enabling it to work more powerfully against the disease [2].
Strategic Advantages in Drug Development
Amplio Pharma’s approach offers significant advantages in the pharmaceutical development process by working with already known substances [2]. This strategy means much is already established about the safety profiles of both methotrexate and novobiocin, which accelerates the clinical development timeline for NovoBioJect [2]. The company benefits from support by an international team of industry veterans and maintains collaborations with prominent academic centers including the LUMC and Amsterdam UMC [2]. These partnerships provide crucial expertise and resources as the company advances its first drug toward Phase 1b clinical trials in rheumatoid arthritis [3].
Patient Impact and Healthcare Economics
NovoBioJect’s enhanced efficacy profile enables physicians to prescribe methotrexate at lower doses, significantly reducing unpleasant side effects such as nausea and fatigue that currently affect many rheumatoid arthritis patients’ quality of life [2]. The improved treatment approach extends the duration patients can remain on methotrexate therapy before requiring more expensive alternative treatments, creating substantial cost savings for healthcare systems [2]. This dual benefit of improved patient outcomes and reduced healthcare expenditure positions NovoBioJect as a potentially transformative intervention in rheumatoid arthritis management [2].
Company Journey and Investment Success
Founded in Sweden in 2020 by three female founding partners - Marguerite Mensonides, Charlott Brunmark, and Karin von Wachenfeldt - each bringing over 25 years of pharmaceutical industry experience [1]. The company relocated to the Netherlands in 2023 after determining that the importance of future-proof healthcare did not resonate sufficiently in Sweden [1]. In summer 2025, Marguerite Mensonides engaged with Sara Schaafsma of ROM InWest, who subsequently decided to invest in the company [1]. Despite facing the challenging reality that less than 3% of venture capital in Europe flows to companies with female founders [1], Amplio Pharma successfully raised over €1.3 million from investors including ROM InWest, Libertatis Ergo Holding, Amsterdam UMC Ventures Holding, and Innovatiefonds Noord-Holland [4]. The company has also attracted Curtis Sprouse as Director Strategy to bring additional gender diversity to its management team [1].