Trophos : Actelion obtains option to acquire privately-held Trophos

20 July 2010 - Late-stage Phase III compound in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis to report data in late 2011 – Novel therapeutic approach to be further explored in drug discovery collaboration – Actelion Ltd (SIX: ATLN) and privately-held Trophos SA announced that they have entered into a binding agreement whereby Actelion has, for EUR 10 million, obtained an exclusive option to acquire privately-held Trophos SA, a clinical stage pharmaceutical company.

Trophos’ lead compound olesoxime has completed enrollment into a Phase III study in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), an orphan disease also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. This study is expected to report data by the end of 2011; at this time Actelion may exercise the option for an acquisition price between EUR 125 and 195 million in cash, contingent on different regulatory approvals and other clinical progress of Trophos’ pipeline...

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...About Trophos SA

Trophos SA is a clinical stage pharmaceutical company developing innovative therapeutics for indications with under-served needs in neurology and cardiology. The company has a novel and proprietary cholesterol-oxime based chemistry platform generating a pipeline of drug candidates with the lead product, olesoxime, fully enrolled in a Phase III study in ALS patients and a second product in the cardiovascular field entering Phase I clinical development. Trophos' mitochondrial pore modulator compounds enhance the function and survival of stressed cells via modulation of dysfunctional mitochondria through interactions at the permeability transition pore (mPTP). Recently published clinical studies support the therapeutic rationale for mitochondria-targeted drugs in neurology (Alzheimer's disease) and cardiology (ischemia-reperfusion injury), which Trophos is uniquely placed to exploit... Trophos' Press Release - Communiqué de Presse de Trophos - Actelion's Press Release -

BT Pharma changes its name to Genticel and secures EUR 13.1M (USD 17.7M) in capital funding

Toulouse, France, March 9th 2010 -- BT Pharma, a biopharmaceutical company developing innovative immunotherapies to prevent cancers caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), announces that it has raised 13.1 million Euro in additional funding and changed its name to Genticel. AGF Private Equity led the round, which brought in three new investors, IRDI (Institut Régional de Développement Industriel), Amundi Private Equity Funds and InnoBio fund, managed by CDC Entreprises, within FSI France Investment program. Previous investors, including Edmond de Rothschild Investment Partners (EdRIP), also took part.
To best leverage its unique and broadly applicable therapeutic vaccine platform, Adenylate Cyclase (CyaA), Genticel will focus its efforts on the prevention of cervical cancer in HPV infected women. A phase I clinical trial of Genticel’s lead therapeutic HPV vaccine, ProCervix, is scheduled for the second quarter of 2010. This bivalent product, which carries antigens originating from both HPV16 and HPV18, should offer a curative vaccine solution that will complement current prophylactic vaccines...

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...About Genticel S.A.

Genticel is a bio-pharmaceutical company that started as a spin out of the Institut Pasteur and was called BT Pharma until the 26th of February 2010. The company is currently based in Labège, on the outskirts of Toulouse, France. The company, which employs 21 people, focuses exclusively on the development of immunotherapeutic products aimed at preventing cancers caused by Human Papillomavirus (HPV)... [PDF] Genticel's Press Release - PDF du communiqué de presse de Genticel -

Ethypharm : launch of a new product on the US market

July 12th 2010 – Ethypharm announces the commercial launch in the US of a new product using its Flashtab® technology. Tramadol Flashtab® is available since end of May, 2010. This new commercial launch confirms Ethypharm’s strong commitment to increase its presence on the North American market.
Ethypharm pursues its development in North America
After Antara® 130mg – an innovative form of Fenofibrate – Ethypharm’s introduction of Tramadol Flashtab®, its second specialty product in the United States, demonstrates its determination to grow in North America. Ethypharm’s mid terms objective is to double its US sales and bring them from actual 12% to 25% of its total sales by 2014. Five products developed specifically for the American market are under active regulatory review at the agency and are scheduled for commercial launch from 2011 thru 2014...

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...Ethypharm is one of the leading pharmaceutical companies dedicated to the development of innovative medicines. Its patented technologies offer multiple benefits for patients by improving efficacy, administration, compliance, and reducing side-effects.
Ethypharm provides its clients with solutions for the life cycle management of their drugs. The company has one of the broadest portfolios of technologies to become the worldwide privileged partner of pharmaceutical companies. Ethypharm offers customized solutions for the development of the medicines of the future... Ethypharm's Press Release - communiqué de presse d'Ethypharm -

VIVALIS EXPANDS R&D CAPACITIES AND MOVES INTO A NEW FACILITY

Nantes, France, June 23th, 2010 - VIVALIS (NYSE Euronext: VLS), a biopharmaceutical company, announced that its research and development teams have moved into its new facility in Saint-Herblain Nantes, France.This new 3,300 m² (35,520 ft2) facility is dedicated to R&D activities and support functions. The project was initiated at the end of 2008 and integrates all research teams onto the same site, which is adjacent to Vivalis’ existing 1,500 m² (16,150 ft2) cGMP bioproduction facility, completed in 2005... [PDF] Vivalis' Press Release - PDF du communiqué de presse de Vivalis -

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...Vivalis at a glance

Vivalis was founded in 1999 with the aim to better understand the extraordinary biological properties of embryonic stem (ES) cells and to use this knowledge for practical applications in human and animal health. ES cells are very unique in that they can self-renew indefinitely in vitro while maintaining a table chromosomal content, and have unlimited regenerative capacity in vivo. Today, the huge therapeutic and industrial potential of ES cells is widely acknowledged but still mostly untapped. Several years of research investments have made of Vivalis a world leader in ES cells. In particular, the company’s distinctive expertise in the field of avian ES cells has led to the development and successful commercialization of its proprietary EB66® platform, a series of documented cells lines derived from chicken and duck ES cells... [PDF] Vivalis at a glance - PDF "l'activité de Vivalis" -

Poxel : €16 million in a Series A Financing to Accelerate Pipeline Development

Lyon, France, July 8, 2010 - Poxel Raises €16 million in a Series A Financing to Accelerate Pipeline Development - Poxel SA, a diabetes drug development specialist, announces that it has raised €16 million (USD 19.7 million) in a Series A round. Poxel is a spin off from Merck Serono. The financing round was led by Edmond de Rothschild Investment Partners (EdRIP); other investors in the financing are InnoBio fund, managed by CDC Entreprises within FSI France Investment program and Crédit Agricole Private Equity. A significant part of the funds will be used to rapidly advance the company’s Iead program, Imeglimin, an oxidative phosphorylation inhibitor, to treat Type 2 diabetes.

Imeglimin is a first-in-class oral anti-diabetic that has demonstrated efficacy and safety in diabetic patients in two Phase IIa trials. Imeglimin is being developed in monotherapy and in combination with key treatments. Imeglimin has an innovative mode of action that targets the three key defects of Type 2 diabetes, inhibiting hepatic gluconeogenesis, increasing muscle glucose uptake and restoring normal insulin secretion. Poxel has five further promising anti-diabetic programs in early development. These also include a new class of direct AMPK activators close to preclinical development stage...

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...About Poxel SA

Poxel, founded in 2009 is a biopharmaceutical company developing innovative first-in-class drugs with a primary focus on Type 2 diabetes. The company will develop drug candidates to clinical proof of concept before partnering with pharmaceutical partners. Poxel was spun out from Merck Serono a division of Merck KGaA, Germany. Poxel now operates completely independently as a lean organization with strong in-house drug development expertise.

Imeglimin, an oxidative phosphorylation inhibitor, is a first in a new class or oral anti-diabetic treatments, the Glimins. Imeglimin is delivering promising clinical results and has the potential to become the leading second line treatment for Type 2 diabetes either as a monotherapy or in combination with other treatments. Imeglimin acts on three main target organs involved in glucose homeostasis: the liver, muscle, and the pancreas... Poxel's Press Release -

SpineGuard : over 1,000 PediGuard® units sold in 2Q 2010, a 125% increase compared to 2Q 2009

SAN FRANCISCO and PARIS, July 6, 2010 - SpineGuard reports over 1,000 PediGuard® units sold in 2Q 2010, a 125% increase compared to 2Q 2009 — SpineGuard, a privately held company based in San Francisco and Paris, announced that PediGuard units sold in the second quarter of 2010 increased by 125% compared to the same period in 2009.
The boost in sales was due primarily to the broad company focus and extensive market expansion of the CE-marked and FDA-cleared PediGuard device, which is designed for safer pedicle screw placement in spine surgery. Nearly one million1 spine procedures using pedicle screws were performed in 2009. According to published studies, pedicle screws show high rates of misplacements that can lead to a number of serious complications for patients, including paralysis...

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...Co-founded by Pierre Jérôme and Stéphane Bette, former executives at Medtronic Sofamor-Danek and SpineVision, SpineGuard’s mission is to make spine surgery safer and its primary objective to establish its FDA-cleared and CE Marked PediGuard® device as the global standard of care for safer pedicle screw placement in spine surgery... [PDF] SpineGuard's Press Release -

DBV Technologies : IND Clearance From FDA to Begin Clinical Trial in Peanut Allergy

Paris, France – 6 July, 2010 – DBV Technologies (DBV), a biotech company specializing in food allergy with innovative products for diagnosis and treatment, announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted its Investigational New Drug (IND) application. DBV Technologies will begin clinical investigation of its lead food allergy desensitization candidate, VIASKIN® PEANUT, for the desensitization to peanut allergy. The Company expects to commence recruitment of peanut allergy patients at several medical centers in the U.S. this month.

The objectives of the clinical study are to demonstrate DBV Technologies’ EPicutaneous ImmunoTherapy (EPIT) using VIASKIN® PEANUT is safe and well tolerated in both adult and pediatric peanut allergy patients, and to determine an appropriate dosing regimen for further efficacy trials... DBV Technologies' Press Release -

About DBV Technologies,
DBV Technologies is a private French company focused on the development of innovative products for the diagnosis and treatment of food allergies.

DBV Technologies was founded in 2002 by leading French pediatricians, Professor Christophe Dupont (Head of the Neonatology Department in Paris at Saint Vincent Hospital), Doctor Pierre-Henri Benhamou and engineer Bertrand Dupont (Arts et Métiers Institute), with funding from ANVAR. Leading investors in DBV Technologies include Sofinnova, Apax Partners, Cap Decisif, Creagro and ALK-ABELLO.

DBV Technologies’ novel approach to food allergy diagnosis and treatment is focused on eliciting an immune response by targeting antigen presenting the skin epidermis. The antigens (allergens) are delivered to the skin using DBV Technologies’ unique worldwide patented delivery system, VIASKIN®... About DBV Technologies -

Metabrain Research : A Partnering Research Organization (PRO) connecting Diabetes & Alzheimer’s

Chilly-Mazarin, March 26th 2010 - Metabrain Research is a Partnering Research Organisation (PRO) expert in metabolic diseases orchestrating private & public research ventures. The launch of their website www.metabrainresearch.com this April is the opportunity to present an innovative business model based on a scientific concept connecting metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases.
The PRO concept bears the hallmarks of biotechs, CROs and basic research centers. Like a biotech, Metabrain Research proposes innovative drug discovery programs that it aims to partner at early stages with companies able to carry-out clinical developments. Like a CRO, Metabrain has state-of-the art drug discovery capacities covering medicinal chemistry, biology and pharmacology. This aspect is particularly relevant to companies in the metabolic disease area, as many experimental models present at Metabrain are unique. Finally, Metabrain coordinates private/public research ventures and contributes to the valorization of academic research...

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...About Metabrain Research
Metabrain Research was created in March 2009, upon the closure of a preclinical R&D centre belonging to Merck Serono, to provide an innovative & sustainable model of early stage drug discovery research.
Based near Paris, in France, Metabrain Research is a PRO of 31 employees, expert in metabolic disorders. It functions as a stand-alone drug discovery unit disposing of chemistry, biology and pharmacology capacities and interacting with biotech, pharma and academia.
Metabrain proposes collaborative exploratory research programs linking metabolic and neurodegenerative diseases. Its expertise in diabetes and obesity is also available for contract research... [PDF] Metabrain Research's Press Release -

EyeTechCare raises EUR 7.5 million in a second funding round and speeds up its development

Rillieux-la-Pape (France) – These funds will enable the company to complete the clinical trial of EyeOP1, a novel, ultrasound-based medical device for the treatment of glaucoma - July 5, 2010 – EyeTechCare SA, which is developing non invasive therapeutic medical devices using ultrasound technology, announces the completion of a EUR 7.5-million funding round. The funds were provided by Lyon-based insurance company SHAM, a first time investor, and Crédit Agricole Private Equity (CAPE), one of EyeTechCare’s existing shareholders. Aelios Finance and MAGS acted as advisers to the company, while Morgan Lewis acted for the investors.

“We were favourably impressed by the EyeTechCare team, whose innovative medical device should fill a major therapeutic void in the treatment of glaucoma and could prove a real technological breakthrough in overcoming this disease...

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...About EyeTechCare

EyeTechCare SA is developing non-invasive therapeutic medical devices for the ophthalmology market based on High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU). HIFU technology allows ambulatory and rapid treatment to be performed, thereby limiting the cost and the risk for the patient.

The company’s first device, EyeOP1, is for the treatment of glaucoma, a disease that affects about 2% of the world population and can lead to blindness. None of the therapies currently on the market provide a satisfactory cure for glaucoma. The treatments offered up to now have been constructed around eye drops, lasers and surgery, but they have limitations (low compliance, dependence on the operator, patient relapse, technical difficulties, and so on). EyeOP1 has been undergoing clinical trials in Lyon since March this year and is due to be launched onto the market in 2011. The device utilizes the UC3 (ultrasound circular cyclocoagulation) procedure, which makes it possible to reduce intraocular pressure by partially and accurately destroying the ciliary bodies that produce aqueous humour.

Based in Rillieux-la-Pape, near Lyon, EyeTechCare was founded in 2008 by three experienced managers with complementary expertise in the medical, industrial and regulatory fields. The company has submitted five patent applications in conjunction with a Lyon-based laboratory (Unit 556) of Inserm, the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research. Since 2008, the founders have secured EUR 500,000 in aid and subsidies from OSEO (the French innovation promotion agency), as well as official recognition from a number of state technology authorities. The company raised a total of EUR 8.7 million since inception... [PDF] EyeTechCare's Press Release - PDF du communiqué de presse EyeTechCare -

CYTOO : Nature Methods article describes results from Institut Curie

Grenoble, France, June 15, 2010 - Top European scientists demonstrate CYTOO’s technology increases sensitivity and speed in cell analysis – CYTOO SA, a developer and marketer of innovative enabling technologies and products for high content cell analysis (HCA), announced the first results from the Institut Curie confirming a major advance in cell analysis made possible by adhesive micropatterns, a technology for which Cytoo holds an exclusive worldwide license.

The Institut Curie team demonstrated that a rigorous quantification of the cell-wide internal organization could be obtained using adhesive micropatterns. Adhesive micropatterns control internal cell organization. In addition, they could decipher a protein re-distribution upon a drug treatment that was previously undetectable in conventional cell culture conditions... CYTOO's Press Release -

CYTOO's vocation

CYTOO focuses on innovative products for the life science research market with an emphasis in cell based assays, high content analysis and cell screening... CYTOO's vocation -