Lallemand and GSK launch Ismigen in the Ukraine
A PMBL treatment for the prevention of respiratory tract infections
Lallemand Pharma International, a new affiliate of Lallemand, a privately held Canadian company specialising in yeast, bacteria and yeast derivatives for the pharmaceutical and other industries, has launched Ismigen in the Ukraine in partnership with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).
Produced by Lallemand, Ismigen is a Polyvalent Mechanical Bacterial Lysate (PMBL), for the treatment and prevention of acute, sub-acute, recurrent or chronic infections of the upper and lower airways and the bronchopulmonary tree.
Several clinical studies, including an ongoing Phase IV trial, have demonstrated that PMBL can also be beneficial in the prevention of acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Ukraine is among the European countries where COPD shows the highest mortality rates.
Ismigen was presented to the Ukrainian medical community during the latest National Human & Medicine Congress in Kiev.
According to Lallemand, the interim results of the Phase IV AIACE clinical study, carried out with 288 patients suffering from moderate to very severe COPD, show a reduction of the rate of acute exacerbations, in particular for the more advanced forms of the disease, where patients are more vulnerable.
PMBL is prepared from a large array of inactivated pathogenic bacteria through mechanical lysis. Compared with chemical lysis, this process ensures maximal preservation of the pathogens’ antigenic structures. This, combined with the large variety of pathogens used (13 strains), and its sublingual mode of administration, provide Ismigen with optimal immunogenic activity, the firm says.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), COPD is the fourth leading cause of death in the world, with approximately 2.75 million deaths each year, representing 4.8% of deaths.
