MEDIA RELEASE PR36824
Octapharma Group and Fresenius Kabi Enter Into an Exclusive License, Development and Supply
Agreement for a HESylated Recombinant Protein
BAD HOMBURG, Germany and LACHEN, Switzerland, Oct. 29 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ --
Octapharma Group and Fresenius Kabi have signed a License, Development and
Supply Agreement regarding the use of Fresenius Kabi's HESylation(R)
Technology to develop a HESylated recombinant protein.
Under the agreement, Fresenius Kabi will license its proprietary
HESylation(R) Technology to Octapharma. This technology platform is based on
hydroxyethyl starch ("HES") which will be combined with a recombinant protein
from Octapharma's human cell-line platform -- this combination is intended to
generate a therapeutic protein with a superior product profile.
Fresenius Kabi will seek to adapt and optimize the protein modification
by its HESylation(R) Technology and will afterwards be responsible for
providing the appropriate HES derivative to Octapharma. Under the agreement,
Octapharma will oversee the further development and commercialization.
Fresenius Kabi will receive up-front and milestone payments, research funding
and royalties on sales for licensing of the HESylation(R) Technology.
Octapharma's human cell-line platform
Octapharma's core business is the development, production and sale of
high quality human protein therapies from both human plasma and human cell
lines. Over the last twelve years, Octapharma has successfully established
the human HEK293F cell-line platform for the expression of a variety of
recombinant therapeutic proteins on a commercial scale.
An investigational new drug application for Octapharma's human cell-line
derived recombinant FVIII was filed in the U.S. in May 2008. Using a human
cell-line expression system instead of e.g. hamster cell-lines is expected to
result in possible advantages like improved protein functions, increased
tolerability and the opportunity for reduced immunogenicity.
HESylation(R) Technology
HESylation(R) Technology is based on the extensive expertise in the field
of hydroxyethyl starch ("HES") that Fresenius Kabi has gathered as the
world's largest producer of pharmaceutical grade HES. HES is derived from
waxy maize starch and can be metabolized by the body's enzymes. HES solutions
have been safely administered for over 30 years to treat deficient blood
volume and to improve the rheological properties of blood.
HESylation(R) Technology allows a targeted modification of drugs and
their characteristics by a site-specific coupling to HES molecules. This can
modify key pharmacological parameters such as absorption, metabolization,
half-life, water solubility and safety.
HESylation(R) Technology is covered by a broad portfolio of intellectual
About Octapharma Group
The Octapharma Group is an independent, Swiss-based biopharmaceutical
company operating worldwide. Octapharma's core business is the development,
production, and sale of high-quality human proteins for the treatment of
life-threatening diseases.
The Group has more than 3,500 employees in 28 countries, and owns five
modern, state-of-the-art production facilities in Austria, France, Germany,
Sweden, and Mexico, respectively. Sales turnover in 2008 reached Euro 886
million with an EBIT of Euro 256 million.
For more information about Octapharma Group please visit the company's
Fresenius Kabi
Fresenius Kabi is focused on products for the therapy and care of
critically and chronically ill patients in and outside the hospital.
Fresenius Kabi's core product range includes infusion solutions for fluid
substitution, blood volume substitution and intravenously administered drugs
as well as parenteral and enteral nutrition and the medical devices for the
application.
Fresenius Kabi has more than 20,000 employees worldwide and a global
network of around 55 sales organizations and more than 55 production sites.
In 2008, Fresenius Kabi achieved sales of Euro 2,495 million and an operating
profit (EBIT) of Euro 443 million. Fresenius Kabi AG is a 100% subsidiary of
the health care group Fresenius SE.
For more information about Fresenius Kabi, please visit the company's web
SOURCE: Octapharma
CONTACT: Frank Feller,
Manager Business Development of Kabi Innovation Centre,
Fresenius Kabi Deutschland GmbH,
+49-6172-608-8406, frank.feller@fresenius-kabi.com; or
Olaf Walter,
International Business Manager,
Coagulation, of Octapharma AG,
+41-55-451-21-15, Olaf.Walter@octapharma.ch
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