MILAN, Italy and PARIS, Jan. 12, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- BioXell SpA and ProSkelia SAS today announced the signing of a collaborative agreement to research and develop drug candidates based on Vitamin D3 analogues for the treatment of osteoporosis and secondary hyperparathyroidism (HPT).
Vitamin D3 analogues are secosteroid hormones which play an important role in regulating calcium and bone metabolism, cell proliferation and differentiation, as well as in the overall immune response.
BioXell's broad Vitamin D3 platform has enabled the company to discover a number of novel compounds, some of which fall outside its key focus areas of urology and inflammatory diseases. At the same time, ProSkelia has concentrated its research efforts on the development of novel treatments for osteoporosis and other bone diseases. By pooling their respective expertise, resources and data in these fields, the two companies aim to maximise the efficiency of the development and commercialisation of Vitamin D3 analogues in these areas.
ProSkelia and BioXell will collaborate in both the research and development phases including pre-clinical and clinical trials, through the coordination of a joint research and development committee which held its inaugural meeting today. Under the terms of the agreement, ProSkelia will provide the bone expertise and know-how, technical equipment and staff whilst BioXell will provide selected Vitamin D3 compounds, medicinal chemistry support and data along with access to intellectual property and certain technical equipment. BioXell and ProSkelia will also share future revenues derived from the development of any compounds in these indications.
Roland Baron, Founder and CSO of ProSkelia said, "We are extremely pleased to partner with BioXell for the development of drugs that will have a profound effect on the lives of many. The compounds involved in this collaboration are core to our business and will augment our existing pipeline of products aimed at this therapeutic field."
Francesco Sinigaglia, Founder and CEO of BioXell commented: "We are very excited by this collaboration with ProSkelia, a premier European biopharmaceutical company, with special expertise and strengths in the field of bone and hormone disorders. The coupling of BioXell's expertise in Vitamin D3 with ProSkelia's discovery and development capabilities in the field of osteoporosis and secondary hyperparathyroidism is a powerful combination designed to result in the expedited discovery of patentable clinical drug candidates."
About BioXell
BioXell is a private biopharmaceutical company focused in the areas of urology and inflammatory diseases with offices in Milan, Italy, and Nutley, NJ, USA. Through its two proprietary technology platforms based on Vitamin D3 analogues and TREM receptor biology, BioXell has identified a number of promising lead development programmes. Its pipeline includes a compound, BXL-628 for benign prostatic hyperplasia (currently in Ph II trials) as well as research projects in other urological indications and sepsis BioXell has a collaboration with TaiGen Biotechnology (Taiwan) for the research and development of small molecules active against GPCRs in the area of inflammatory diseases. To date, BioXell has raised over 39 million through the participation of world-class VC investors including MPM Capital, Index Ventures, Life Sciences Partners, and NIB Capital Private Equity. BioXell currently employs 50 people. More information on BioXell can be found on: www.bioxell.com
About ProSkelia
ProSkelia is an independent European biopharmaceutical companyspun-off from Aventis in July 2002 and focused on bone and hormone disorders. The company's scientific expertise in the diseases of the skeleton and woman's health, coupled with its integrated cutting-edge pharma technologies, gives it a unique ability to undertake research and development in these two inter-related fields. ProSkelia's big pharma heritage is evident in both the qualities and capabilities of its teams and its pipeline. With three compounds in development for four indications, and 10 pre-clinical programmes, ProSkelia is well positioned for future in- and out-licensing opportunities to grow its business. ProSkelia is backed by two major investors, Aventis SA and Warburg Pincus and was the biotechnology sector's largest private equity investment in 2002. Based in Romainville, a suburb of Paris, France, ProSkelia employs about 100 people. More information on ProSkelia can be found on www.proskelia.com
Notes to Editors
Osteoporosis
In the field of bone diseases, osteoporosis is the most important pathology. With more than 50 million women affected in western countries, osteoporosis is one of the major worldwide health issues of the 21st century. It is recognised clinically by characteristic fractures that occur when abnormally fragile bone is subjected to relatively mild trauma. Osteoporosis is associated with increased mortality and morbidity: for example, women with vertebral fractures have an increased risk of death due to cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases.
The area of osteoporosis is also one of the fastest growing in the pharmaceutical industry -- annual revenues are forecast to grow from current levels of over 5 billion to 12 billion by 2010, indicating an annual growth rate of over 10%. Despite this growth, it is expected that this area will still suffer from significantly unmet clinical needs and benefit from considerable commercial potential.
Osteoporosis remains a major clinical problem despite effective therapies. Many patients cannot, or will not, take currently available therapies and in some cases do not respond to the treatment. For this reason, research continues for more effective and better-tolerated agents.
Secondary Hyperparathyroidism (HPT)
Secondary HPT is a state of compensatory hyper-secretion of PTH (parathyroid hormone) generally caused by chronic renal failure. In patients with chronic renal failure a decreased production of the vitamin D3 active form (calcitriol) is a key factor involved in the pathogenesis of secondary HPT. The effects of increased PTH are seen in the skeleton, muscles, kidneys, nervous system, stomach and intestines. The severity of the condition can vary from mild to severe. The prevalence is 1 out of 1,000 people for the mild form, and 1 out of 10,000 for the severe. The current market is estimated at $600 million per year.
Copyright Hugin ASA 2004. All rights reserved.