Three days after tennis player Novak Djokovic was departed from Australia following a protracted visa row sparked by his refusal to get a COVID-19 vaccine, the CEO of a Danish biotech firm on Wednesday claimed that the Serb holds an 80% stake in the company, which is aiming to develop a medical treatment to counter COVID-19
QuantBioRes CEO Ivan Loncarevic, who described himself as an entrepreneur, said the investment was made in June 2020 but declined to say how much it was. QuantBioRes has around 11 researchers working in Denmark, Australia, and Slovenia, according to Loncarevic, who stressed they were working on a treatment, not a vaccine.
The company is developing a peptide, which inhibits the coronavirus from infecting the human cell, expects to launch clinical trials in Britain this summer, he added.
A spokesperson for Djokovic did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The tennis star had tested positive for COVID-19 in June 2020 after taking part in a tennis exhibition series he organized in Serbia and Croatia. During the legal battle with the Australian immigration ministry, Djokovic's lawyer had said that the Serb had again tested positive for the virus a month previously.
The tennis world number one has stoked global debate about the rights of people who opt not to get vaccinated after he was deported from Australia on Sunday night, ruling him out of the Australian Open.
QuantBioRes CEO Ivan Loncarevic, who described himself as an entrepreneur, said the investment was made in June 2020 but declined to say how much it was. QuantBioRes has around 11 researchers working in Denmark, Australia, and Slovenia, according to Loncarevic, who stressed they were working on a treatment, not a vaccine.
Also read: No vaccine, no French Open for Novak Djokovic, says French Sports ministry
The company is developing a peptide, which inhibits the coronavirus from infecting the human cell, expects to launch clinical trials in Britain this summer, he added.
A spokesperson for Djokovic did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The tennis star had tested positive for COVID-19 in June 2020 after taking part in a tennis exhibition series he organized in Serbia and Croatia. During the legal battle with the Australian immigration ministry, Djokovic's lawyer had said that the Serb had again tested positive for the virus a month previously.
The tennis world number one has stoked global debate about the rights of people who opt not to get vaccinated after he was deported from Australia on Sunday night, ruling him out of the Australian Open.
First Published: Jan 19, 2022 11:09 PM IST
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