MILAN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dompé, one of Italy’s leading biopharmaceutical companies, announced
today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire 100% of
Anabasis Srl, a privately held Italian research and development
biopharmaceutical company, focused on ocular diseases.
Anabasis,
founded in 1999 by a group of Italian scientists who were among the
first to study the use of Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) – research which won
Rita Levi-Montalcini the Nobel Prize – has advanced an ophthalmic
formulation of NGF to preclinical and clinical stages for various
diseases affecting both the anterior part of the eye, such as
neurotrophic keratitis (NK) and dry eye, as well as the posterior part
of the eye such as retinitis pigmentosa and glaucoma.
In January 2011, Anabasis signed a licensing and co-development agreement with Dompé, which acquired a 49% stake in Anabasis and patent rights for the use of NGF to treat neurotrophic keratitis (NK). By the end of 2011 Dompé - thanks to its considerable experience in the manufacturing of recombinant proteins - has successfully achieved the development of a stable process suitable for industrial production of recombinant human NGF (rhNGF) at its biotechnological plant based in L’Aquila (Italy), which operates in compliance with GMPs and is authorized to produce recombinant proteins for human use.
Today, under the terms of the agreement, Dompé has become the sole shareholder of Anabasis by acquiring remaining 51% of its share capital for an undisclosed amount, including an immediate upfront and subsequent milestone payments related to the development and commercialization of NGF in pathological conditions.
“Anabasis is a unique opportunity for Dompé as it supports our wider project aimed at the expansion of the Group at international level” declared Sergio Dompé, President of the Company, ”while the awareness of ophthalmic pathologies are steadily increasing, there is a real need for new approaches to treating them. This investment represents our responsible contribution to the Patients as it could offer significant treatment advantages over currently available therapeutic solutions”.
The acquisition of Anabasis will lay the foundation stone of a new ophthalmology franchise and will create new strategic positions for Dompé in the very promising and dynamically growing ophthalmic area driven by unmet medical needs and aging population” stated Eugenio Aringhieri, Chief Executive Officer of Dompé. “Anabasis is an excellent addition to our growing pipeline and furthers our strategy of accessing high-growth segments of the international healthcare market, reducing our risk profile while focusing on patient needs”.
“It is remarkable what our scientific co-founders have achieved in proving clinically that NGF have therapeutic potential for diseases of both the anterior and the posterior segment of the eye” said Dr. Francesco Sinigaglia, Chief Executive Officer of Anabasis. “We are now extremely pleased to join Dompé as it will provide Anabasis with the necessary resources and expertise to demonstrate the efficacy of products through regulatory clinical development. With the continued support of scientific founders Professors Stefano Bonini, Alessandro Lambiase, Paolo Rama and Luigi Aloe, we are confident that we will successfully contribute to bringing innovative treatments to patients at risk of loosing sight.”
About Dompé
Dompé is one of the main Italian
biopharmaceutical companies, focused on advanced and innovative
solutions for unmet medical needs. It is a fully-fledged company,
capable of covering the entire pharmaceutical pipeline, from research &
development through production and distribution. Drug discovery and the
clinical development are performed thanks to its proprietary
technologies and dedicated structures with specific skills -
internationally validated - in the design of new drugs. The production
site houses a biotech plant for the production of monoclonal antibodies,
specializes in the formulation of oral, liquid and granular forms, and
develops Primary Care drugs marketed in over 60 countries worldwide. In
keeping with its strategy, Dompé invests in companies that energetically
pursue innovation in medicine. Since 2009 it has been a key shareholder
of Philogen, an Italian/Swiss biotech company working on
biopharmaceutical products for the treatment of cancer, rheumatoid
arthritis and some eye diseases. In 2011 it acquired 49% of Anabasis, an
Italian biotech company that develops innovative drugs using rhNGF
(whose discovery won Rita Levi Montalcini the Nobel Prize), for serious
eye diseases that currently have no effective treatments. In 2011 Dompé
also acquired an interest in Advanced Accelerator Applications (AAA), a
leading name in molecular medicine that concentrates on R&D and the
production of radiopharmaceuticals for molecular imaging and
personalized medicine. Headquartered in Italy, in 2011 the Dompé ’s
turnover - including Amgen Dompé and Biogen Dompé - was of €470 million,
with more than 10% of own revenues invested in R&D.
For online
information about Dompé, please visit www.dompe.com
About Anabasis
Anabasis is a private, Milan based,
biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of innovative
therapies for the eye. The initial focus is NGF (Nerve Growth Factor)
for the treatment of diseases affecting both the anterior part of the
eye, such as neurotrophic keratitis (NK) and dry eye, as well as the
posterior part of the eye such as glaucoma. While NK is an orphan
disease, glaucoma represents one of the largest potential market
opportunity in ophthalmology. These diseases can lead to severe vision
loss and blindness.In January 2011, Dompé became Anabasis’s parent
company by acquiring 49% of its shares. Furthermore, Dompé acquired the
worldwide rights for the development and the commercialization of NGF
for NK.
For online information about Anabasis, please visit www.anabasispharma.com