Bioiberica has launched its natural thyroid active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) for the treatment of hypothyroidism, and is investigating new opportunities in glycosaminoglycans, complex lipids, proteins and bioactive peptides of non-recombinant origin.
The API replaces or supplements the hormones that are ineffectively produced by the human thyroid gland, specifically targeting patients who prefer a natural origin treatment or those who continue to experience symptoms despite using the standard synthetic therapy.
Bioiberica identifies, extracts and develops animal-derived APIs.
Expanding options
Hypothyroidism is a common condition of thyroid hormone deficiency that affects up to 5.3% of the population in Europe, depending on the definition used.
Thyroid hormone replacement via levothyroxine – a synthetic variation is the standard treatment for patients with hypothyroidism. However, evidence suggests that 5-10% of patients treated with levothyroxine exhibit persistent symptoms despite having normal thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels. These symptoms include fatigue, weight gain and depression.
There is a clear subset of patients with persistent symptoms despite following a standard synthetic thyroid treatment
Javier Velasco-Alvarez, R&D Director at Bioiberica, said: "There is a clear subset of patients suffering from hypothyroidism with persistent symptoms despite following a standard synthetic thyroid treatment. Our natural thyroid API, extracted from porcine thyroid glands, targets this unmet need."
The Director revealed that the new product contains the hormones - tetraiodothyronine, also known as thyroxine or T4, and triiodothyronine, otherwise known as liothyronine or T3 – that are naturally produced by the thyroid gland. Scientific evidence shows that thyroid API is an effective treatment from a natural origin.
Manufactured to European pharmaceutical standards, thyroid offers quality, safety and regulatory compliance thanks to Bioiberica's vertically-integrated supply chain, through which it can offer full traceability, security and sustainability.
Innovation through partnership
Jaume Reguant, Healthcare Director at Bioiberica, added: "The development of our new thyroid API is the direct result of collaborative partnership with a key player in the pharmaceutical market."
Reguant explained that Bioiberica used this partner's knowledge combined with its expertise in the identification and manufacture of specific biomolecules.
Reguant continued: "The development of our new thyroid API is just one example of how such partnerships can help us explore new horizons and activate the innovation of novel pharma solutions. It's for this reason that we are actively seeking partners to investigate new opportunities in glycosaminoglycans, complex lipids, proteins and bioactive peptides of non-recombinant origin."