Healthcare industry

Article - 29/04/2010

The biopharmaceutical industry remained stable in times of crisis

The German biopharmaceutical industry has come through 2009 without experiencing too many major slumps. The roaring growth of the biopharmaceutical industry in previous years has been replaced by more moderate growth. This is the result published by the 4th Medical Biotechnology report in 2010 compiled on behalf of the biotech interest group of the vfa bio Association of Research-Oriented Pharmaceutical Companies by the Boston Consulting Group.

Press release - 08/04/2010

Latest Trend: Investment-Fonds by Big Pharma

Boehringer Ingelheim announced the launch of its corporate venture capital fund the Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund BIVF. The BIVF aims to invest in Biotech and Start-up companies that provide ground-breaking therapeutic approaches and technologies to help drive innovation in medical science.

Article - 28/03/2010

Acrovis biostructures: because the beginning of a process is crucial

Targeted substance design using an advanced platform technology that takes into account the natural dynamics of pharmaceutical substances and targets early on during the discovery process – this is what the Ulm-based biopharmaceutical company Acrovis biostructures GmbH offers. Acrovis has all the instruments needed to be able to optimally determine the structure of pharmaceutical substances.

Article - 22/03/2010

IBR Inc.: Dual strategy for safe and effective drugs

IBR Inc. a science-based provider of preclinical and clinical services specialises in inflammatory diseases. The analyses it carries out for the pharmaceutical and biotech sector help exclude potential side effects of specific drug candidates early in the development process.

Article - 18/03/2010

Boehringer Ingelheim researchers to focus on inflammation

Boehringer Ingelheim is hoping to find ways to use anti-inflammatory mechanisms of action to improve the treatment of respiratory diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma. Clinical studies will show what kind of improvements patients can expect from the substances, which are currently at different stages of development. Drugs to widen the bronchia, marketed by Boehringer Ingelheim, will in the medium term become…

Article - 18/03/2010

Giant becomes even bigger: Teva acquires ratiopharm

As it turned out, the deal went through quicker than expected. The world’s biggest generic pharmaceuticals producer Teva Pharmaceuticals is set to acquire the Ulm-based competitor ratiopharm for around 3.6 billion euros. Representatives from both companies and other parties involved in the bidding process announced the signing of the purchase agreement in Cologne on 18th March.

Article - 15/03/2010

Campaign to eradicate malaria

After many decades, efforts to develop an effective vaccine against malaria have finally brought researchers closer to their goal. However, the goal of eradicating malaria completely can only be reached through a complex strategy, to which researchers from Heidelberg are making intensive contributions.

Article - 15/03/2010

The first active immunisations against cancer

The first anti-cancer vaccines were developed to prevent women from becoming infected with papillomaviruses and to protect them against cervical cancer. The development of vaccines can be traced back to the work of Nobel Laureate Harald zur Hausen and his colleagues at the German Cancer Research Centre in Heidelberg. But more development is required in the field of anti-cancer vaccines and this is why researchers worldwide are working on vaccines…

Dossier - 15/03/2010

Vaccine development

As the recent discussion on the pros and cons of swine flu vaccinations has shown vaccinations are not very popular in Germany. However people tend to forget that no other medical development has helped people to the same extent as immunisation with vaccines has done. Examples include the discovery of the cow pox vaccination by Edward Jenner in 1796 and all the programmes that have been set up by the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation…

Article - 04/03/2010

“I’ve seen too many company foundations that were essentially meaningless”

Phenex Pharmaceuticals AG was established in Heidelberg in 2002. The company develops pharmaceutical substances that target nuclear receptors. In the following interview with Christoph Bächtle the companys managing directors Dr. Claus Kremoser and Thomas Hoffmann describe the rocky road to success highlight the differences between America and Germany in terms of company foundation and cast a critical eye on many company foundations

Article - 28/01/2010

Drug safety: there is always a risk

In the best-case scenario, drugs are 100% effective; however, there are many cases where they are ineffective. Medicinal therapy is always associated with numerous risks. Experts from all over Germany recently gathered at the 1st Ulm Drug Safety Day to discuss the mode of action of drugs, the influences on drug action and how drug safety can be ensured. The “Stadthaus” in Ulm, where the meeting was held, was packed.

Press release - 25/01/2010

Nycomed remains stable at its Singen-based production site

Despite the transfer of around 100 jobs to India the pharmaceutical company Nycomed is maintaining its current staff numbers at its Singen-based production facility. Activities from other Nycomed subsidiaries are being transferred to the Singen-based facility. Jürgen Mahling head of the Singen-based facility also envisages a stable capacity utilisation of production facilities in 2010.

Article - 25/01/2010

Intelligent use of suitable biomarkers

How quickly does a pharmaceutical substance exert its effect? What mechanisms does it use to exert its effect on people and how long does it remain active? In a team headed by Prof. Dr. Martin Elmlinger Nycomed GmbH has developed an efficient biomarker discovery concept specially adapted to the companys requirements and designed to clarify such questions. The concept is specifically geared to the phases and requirements of the companys projects.…

Article - 25/01/2010

Hope for effective ulcerative colitis treatment

Ulcerative colitis, a chronic form of inflammatory bowel disease, is characterised by a reduced amount of the lipid phosphatidylcholine in the colon mucosa. This fact was discovered by Wolfgang Stremmel and his team at the University Hospital of Heidelberg. In collaboration with the Heidelberg-based biotechnology company Lipid Therapeutics, the researchers are now working on the development of a phosphatidylcholine drug for the treatment of this…

Press release - 21/01/2010

Open access drug discovery database launches with half a million compounds

ChEMBLdb a vast online database of information on the properties and activities of drugs and drug-like small molecules and their targets was launched on January 18 2010 with information on over half a million compounds. The data lie at the heart of translating information from the human genome into successful new drugs in the clinic.

Press release - 19/01/2010

Affimed Therapeutics AG Completes Move Into Drug Development

Affimed Therapeutics AG, the therapeutic antibody company from Heidelberg, announced today that it is now concentrating all activities on the exclusive development of its in-house drug candidates derived from the company's proprietary TandAb technology platform. In line with this, the Company has spun-out its antibody discovery activities into a new company: AbCheck s.r.o, (Plzen, Czech Republic).

Article - 14/12/2009

s4s Tries – thorough and reliable pharmaceuticals services provider

s4s stands for ”service for success” and Tries stands for Susanne Tries, the founder of the Ehingen-based company. Since 2002, the pharmacist has been offering services to the pharmaceutical industry and in this time the company has more than lived up to its claim of “service for success”. In fact, the company’s success is now enabling it to go one step further. The company founder envisages complementing her company’s established service…

Press release - 03/12/2009

ELARA Pharmaceuticals receives EUR 4.6 Million funding

ELARA Pharmaceuticals GmbH, a biotech company focused on the development of drugs for the treatment of different cancers, announced today the closing of a € 2.6 million Series A financing round, which will trigger an additional € 2 million from the BMBF GOBio and the Biotechnologie Rhein-Neckar (BioRN) Spitzencluster programs, leading to a total funding of € 4.6 million.

Article - 19/11/2009

Cellzome - kinase inhibitors for therapy

Cellzome is a privately-owned biotechnology company which develops new drugs for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and chronic inflammatory intestinal diseases at its two company sites in Heidelberg (Germany) and Cambridge (UK).

Press release - 19/11/2009

TET Systems and Novo Nordisk sign license agreement

TET Systems Holding GmbH & Co. KG (“TET Systems”), a worldwide leader in controlled gene expression, today announced that TET Systems and Novo Nordisk A/S have signed a license agreement allowing the Hagedorn Research Institute (HRI), a research institute within Novo Nordisk A/S, the use of the Tet Technology for its internal research activities.

Article - 14/11/2009

"A little naivety always helps"

The biotech company CureVac based in Tuebingen is working on the development of a new tumour therapy based on RNA molecules. Dr. Ingmar Hoerr one of the scientists who founded CureVac tells Christoph Bächtle about the obstacles the young company had to overcome and the tough decisions that led to success. At the very start he tells us the company owes its origins to a huge dollop of luck.

Press release - 12/11/2009

SYGNIS reports on second quarter 2009/2010

Heidelberg, November 10, 2009 – SYGNIS Pharma AG (Frankfurt: LIO; ISIN DE0005043509; Prime Standard) today published its financial results for the second quarter and the first half of the fiscal year 2009/2010, which ended on 30 September 2009.

Press release - 22/10/2009

SYGNIS secures up to € 10 Million through a 3 year Standby Equity Distribution Agreement (SEDA) with Yorkville

SYGNIS Pharma AG (Frankfurt: LIO; ISIN DE0005043509; Prime Standard), a clinical stage biotech company developing innovative CNS treatments, today announced that it has entered into a 3 year standby equity distribution agreement (SEDA) with YA Global Master SPV LTD (YA Global) a fund managed by Yorkville Advisors, LLC located in New Jersey USA.

The second Science to Market Conference took place in Hannover, Germany, on October 6 – 7, 2009. The aim of the conference was the promotion of cooperation between academia and industry in the area of pharmaceutical biotechnology.

Lipid Therapeutics GmbH and Dr. Falk Pharma GmbH announced on 30th, September, that they have entered into a co-development and licensing agreement for LT-02. Under the terms of the agreement, Dr. Falk Pharma will receive exclusive access to the European rights to Lipid Therapeutics’ lead product LT-02 for the treatment of ulcerative colitis. Ulcerative colitis is a severe inflammation of the colon affecting more than one million people…