Esteve laboratories Barcelona

The laboratory creates a center to develop painkillers

Barcelona Science Park

Laboratorios Esteve has opened a center to develop new analgesics in the Barcelona Science Park (PCB), a draft joint research with scientists PCB bringing to 20 million euros annual spending on R & D that the family pharmaceutical group performs in the park.

José Miguel Vela, director of drug development and clinical development group said the new unit will be co-directed by Miriam Royo, head of the platform combinatorial chemistry PCB, and will initially have four investigators, although the forecast is to continue growing in staff and new projects. The firm, he said, already has 2,300 m2 of offices, animalario and laboratories in the Science Park, where its center of drug development in 2012 moved “For years we opted to boost R & D open and collaborative, so now we make half of our research outside the group. ”

The new joint unit aims to design and synthesize new compounds to develop, effective treatments for chronic pain conditions, a medical unmet need.

Esteve has already begun to achieve results from its location in the Parc, and Vela highlighted the collaboration agreement with Enantia, a spin-off of the University of Barcelona in which there are 8 chemical group working on technology co-crystallization. The company also has an agreement with VSY Biotechnology to develop specialized products in ophthalmic surgery and more specifically in cataract operations.

Vela said that among the R + D major collaborative group are that performed at the University of Santiago de Compostela, focused on developing robotic methods to determine the pharmacological activity in vitro of potential new medicines, which have 6 researchers . Esteve has another mixed unit with the Catalan Institute of Chemical Research of Tarragona, and the Universitat Pompeu Fabra.

Esteve closed last year with consolidated sales 870 million euros, 3.8% more than the previous year, of which 63% were exports. The firm gets 40% of its revenue from its generics division, 30% of pharmacy and 30% of fine chemicals.

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Catalan biotechnology

The Catalan Aelix achieved 11.5 million euros to create a vaccine against AIDS

Aelix Therapeutics

Aelix Therapeutics, the company created the first development consortium Hivacat HIV treatments, has secured funding of 11.5 million euros earmarked for their research to create a therapeutic vaccine immunogen -from HTI-, “the first one you can cure infection in a patient. ” In investing, led by Ysios Capital (venture capital specialized in life sciences based in Barcelona), participated the equity manager of La Caixa, Caixa Capital Risc, and the US fund Innovation Johnson & Johnson. Aelix Therapeutics is led by renowned scientists: its founders are Dr. Bonaventura Clotet, Josep Maria Gatell, Christian Brander and biotechnology entrepreneur Jordi Naval.

Besides the medical challenge of this operation (more than 36.9 million people have HIV in the world), its characters include a major landmark in science model of excellence in Catalonia: first, a project It involves cutting edge science (Can Ruti and hospital Clinic), local industry (Esteve), public capital (research budgets Generalitat, Government and European Union), philanthropic (Obra Social La Caixa) and private (Ysios, Caixa Capital Risc) has He has been able to attract international capital (Johnson & Johnson). “It is an example of the contribution of all actors in the Catalan scientific industry. This is already happening in Tel Aviv or Boston, and now in Barcelona, ​​”says Josep Lluís Sanfeliu, Ysios Capital partner.

Aelix working on a therapeutic vaccine. That is, “retrains the patient’s immune system. There are a dozen companies in the world with different approaches to it, all in early stages, “says Jordi Naval. “It’s a hot topic, working from different angles, and the data is good.” Aelix vision anticipates fewer side effects in patients and significantly reduced the cost of treatment. “This is our aim, still have to prove it, some time before the product reaches the market,” he added.

With the money earned now, Aelix be reached until 2019 to carry out studies to assess the safety and efficacy in infected patients, equivalent to Phase II clinical study. He has so far tested in animals, and later this year will begin testing in healthy volunteers and patients. “Then, depending on the results, we will think how to complete the trial with the phase III (involving thousands of patients in various countries is different scale), if investors, or a pharmaceutical incorporated”.

Hivacat is a consortium of public-private research created in 2006 by two research centers in more developed AIDS and international reference, the AIDS Research Institute IrsiCaixa-Hospital Universitari Germans Trias i Pujol-Can Ruti (who runs Bonaventura Clotet ) and the Department of Infectious Diseases and AIDS of Hospital Clínic de Barcelona (Josep Maria Gatell).

In 2009 the Esteve pharmaceutical joined the Obra Social La Caixa and the Generalitat, through the departments of Health and Economy and Coneixement, and the Clinic Foundation. Hivacat coordinator is the researcher Christian Brander, Harvard hired by the Generalitat Icrea program. Since its founding twenty years ago, IrsiCaixa has received 3.1 million euros from the Obra Social La Caixa.

Hivacat has launched eight lines of research addressing major obstacles in the development of HIV vaccines, both preventive and therapeutic. “One of the projects is the therapeutic vaccine candidate HTI. In 2014 came to a point that needed a high volume of investment and decided to form a spin-off that acquires the rights and seeks private investment, “says Naval, companies with experience in the health sector and current director of the Foundation Bosch i Gimpera).

Ysios participated in the development of the business model and has led the investment round (the bottom Ysios Biofund II provides 3.75 million) with Caixa Capital Risc, a regular partner in the main operations of the sector, and Johnson & Johnson Innovation. The operation has been advised by the law firm RCD. Aelix joined his advice to Karen Wagner, Ysios; Jose Antonio Mesa, Caixa Capital Risc; Jordi Naval, co-founder and a representative of JJDC. The company currently has a team of four people in the Parc Cientific Barcelona.

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