Increased focus on specialist care diseases for Biovitrum
Swedish biopharma company Biovitrum is set to increase its focus on specialist care diseases by capitalising more on its biopharmaceutical competence.
Swedish biopharma company Biovitrum is set to increase its focus on specialist care diseases by capitalising more on its biopharmaceutical competence.
As part of this move, the company will re-focus its R&D portfolio towards projects in diseases treated by specialists; develop in-house specialist care projects all the way to the market and out-license primary care R&D projects, and will increase revenues and expand the portfolio of marketed products through geographical expansion and by acquiring new products.
The reasoning behind the strategy, according to Biovitrum's ceo Martin Nicklasson, is a feeling within the group that there are many specialist care areas with high unmet medical needs with a favourable access to market and requiring less extensive development programmes.
In addition, marketing and sales effort will be more focused and less costly. It also enlarges the medical scope since both biopharmaceuticals and small molecules can be pursued. Biovitrum is to partner with Syntonix/Biogen Idec on Factor VIIIFc with prolonged half-life used for the treatment of haemophilia A.
"The Factor VIIIFc project fits strategically very well with our already strong commitment in the haemophilia business," said Nicklasson. "Biovitrum has been very successful within this specialist care area and we will continue to develop and strengthen this position. It's an appealing area, with stable growth and the continued need for medically improved products."
The company's haemophilia business also includes the development of Factor IXFc for the treatment of haemophilia B with significantly improved patient convenience (in co-development with Syntonix/Biogen Idec), stable revenues from ReFacto (Factor VIII) and co-marketing rights in the Nordic countries for BeneFIX (Factor IX).
In addition, an exposition in depth was made of eight selected key projects from the R&D portfolio. The five specialist care projects covered were: Kiobrina, Exinalda, FIXFc and Anti Rh(D) for two indications and three primary care projects - 5-HT2A in glaucoma, A2A in inflammation and leptin mimetic in obesity were covered.