BioInvent and ThromboGenics Strike Alliance to Jointly Develop Antibody-Based Therapeutics To Pursue Novel Treatments for Vascular Indications.LUND, Sweden & DUBLIN, Ireland -- BioInvent International AB (OMX OMX Office Max (stock symbol) :BINV) and ThromboGenics Ltd. today announced a long-term collaborative research and licensing agreement to co-develop antibody-based drugs for vascular indications. This collaboration will bring together a rich portfolio of expertise in the area of antibody discovery, development and manufacturing. BioInvent will contribute its knowledge and experience in antibody discovery, production and immunology. ThromboGenics will contribute its research and clinical development skills in the area of vascular medicine. Both parties will provide core intellectual property based on specific therapeutic targets. Under the terms of the collaboration, the parties will share costs and revenues equally (where a candidate has been identified prior to collaboration, the revenue split will be 60/40). The initial program will be the co-development of ThromboGenics' fully human anti-Factor VIII monoclonal antibody monoclonal antibody, an antibody that is mass produced in the laboratory from a single clone and that recognizes only one antigen. Monoclonal antibodies are typically made by fusing a normally short-lived, antibody-producing B cell (see immunity) to a fast-growing , as a novel anticoagulant therapy anticoagulant therapy Hematology The use of anticoagulants to prevent intravascular clot formation, or dissolve clots that have already formed Indications DVT/thrombophlebitis, CAD, TIA/stroke, dysrhythmia, prosthetic heart valve, cancer Monitoring Serial for numerous indications, including prevention and treatment of deep vein thrombosis A blood clot (thrombos) in a vein deep within the muscle, typically in the thigh or calf. It is caused by disease or the lack of activity such as sitting for hours at a computer screen. (DVT See deep vein thrombosis. ) and treatment of atrial fibrillation atrial fibrillation Irregular rhythm (arrhythmia) of contraction of the atria (upper heart chambers). The most common major arrhythmia, it may result as a consequence of increased fibrous tissue in the aging heart, of heart disease, or in association with severe infection. . The market for anticoagulants Anticoagulants Drugs that suppress, delay, or prevent blood clots. Anticoagulants are used to treat embolisms. Mentioned in: Embolism, Heart Valve Replacement is estimated at $4 billion, and is expected to grow to over $6 billion by 2011. The anti-Factor VIII lead candidate has shown a beneficial partial inhibition of the blood coagulation Factor VIII factor VIII n. A factor in the clotting of blood, a deficiency of which is associated with hemophilia A. Also called antihemophilic factor, antihemophilic globulin, antihemophilic globulin A, , even when applied in excess dosage. This indicates well-controlled inhibition of Factor VIII activity with low risk of spontaneous bleeding, thus avoiding the possibility of overdose and the need for patient monitoring. Additionally, experiments to date support that this drug can be given one time for treatment of acute indications, or once-a-month for chronic indications such as atrial fibrillation (all available anticoagulants require daily drug administration). This strongly suggests that a product with an excellent safety profile, with ease of administration and compliance superior to all alternative anticoagulants, can be developed. The next step will be the completion of late-stage preclinical toxicology preclinical toxicology (prēˈ·kliˑ·ni·k  l t prior to entering clinical development. Breakthrough research on Factor VIII inhibition has been led by Professor Marc Jacquemin, M.D., Ph.D., University of Leuven, Belgium. Professor Jacquemin has published extensively on the distinct role of Factor VIII inhibition as a novel approach to anticoagulant therapy. BioInvent and ThromboGenics are actively pursuing additional projects in the collaboration, and expect to begin new programs in the near future. It is anticipated that BioInvent and ThromboGenics will bring its joint programs through clinical proof-of-concept prior to seeking third party alliances with a pharmaceutical partner. Commenting on the collaboration, Svein Mathisen, President and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of BioInvent, said, "BioInvent is very pleased to be working with people with proven success in developing and researching products in these lucrative market segments. We believe this alliance with ThromboGenics will be an effective way of extending our portfolio of innovative drug development projects." "The discovery and development of fully human antibodies for treatment of serious diseases has been an important objective in the ThromboGenics research plan," explains Professor Desire Collen, Chairman and CEO of ThromboGenics, "We expect the collaboration with BioInvent to expedite introduction of several promising new antibody-based candidates into the clinic." Legal disclaimer This press release contains statements about the future, consisting of subjective assumptions and forecasts for future scenarios. Predictions for the future only apply as of the date they are made and are, by their very nature, in the same way as research and development work in the biotech segment, associated with risk and uncertainty. With this in mind, the actual outcome may deviate significantly from the scenarios described in this press release. Background information: BioInvent International AB, listed on the O-list of the Stockholm Exchange (Stockholmsborsen) (SAX:BINV), develops antibody-based drugs against diseases where there is a significant unmet medical need. The antibody segment has strong growth in the pharmaceuticals market. BioInvent is a leading player in this market with its competitive technology platform that covers the chain, from the n-CoDeR(R) antibody library for fast and efficient selection of human antibodies to production in a facility fully approved for manufacturing biological drugs. Today, BioInvent conducts innovative proprietary drug projects in the areas of AIDS, atherosclerosis, cancer and diseases of the joints. The scope and strength of BioInvent's technology platform is also used by partners in the development of new drugs. BioInvent's partners include ALK ALK Alkohol (German: alcohol) ALK Alkaline ALK Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase ALK Automatisierte Liegenschaftskarte ALK Activin Receptor-Like Kinase ALK Alkylation ALK Srilankan Airlines (ICAO code) Abello, Antisoma, Celltech, GlaxoSmithKline, ImmunoGen, Igeneon, Orbus and XOMA. The Company has 102 employees and operates in the Ideon Research Park in Lund. BioInvent International AB (publ) Co. reg. no. 556537-7263 Visiting address: Solvegatan 41 Postal address: SE-223 70 Lund, Sweden Tel.: +46 (0)46 286 85 50 info@bioinvent.com www.bioinvent.com ThromboGenics Ltd. is a privately held company privately held company A firm whose shares are held within a relatively small circle of owners and are not traded publicly. founded in Dublin, Ireland, focused on discovery and development of biotherapeutics for vascular diseases vascular diseases, n.pl diseases of the peripheral circulatory system. (including heart attack, stroke and peripheral artery disease). ThromboGenics has exclusive rights to certain therapeutics developed at University of Leuven (Belgium). The Company has research labs in Belgium, via its subsidiary Thromb-X, N.V., and management team located in Ireland, Belgium and the U.S. ThromboGenics has two programs in clinical development: 1) microplasmin, both as a treatment for retinal disorders and as a neuroprotective thrombolytic agent for stroke and peripheral arterial occlusive occlusive /oc·clu·sive/ (o-kloo´siv) pertaining to or causing occlusion. oc·clu·sive adj. 1. Occluding or tending to occlude. 2. disease, and 2) staphylokinase as a thrombolytic agent for acute myocardial infarction acute myocardial infarction (  ·kyōōtˑ mī·ō·karˑ·dē· . The Company also has five other programs in pre-clinical development with proof-of-principle demonstrated. ThromboGenics Ltd. 14 Bridgecourt Office Park Walkinstown Avenue Dublin 12, Ireland Tel: +353 (1) 409 7757 www.thrombogenics.com |
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