Biotie Therapies
 | |
| Company type | Publicly traded |
|---|---|
| Nasdaq Helsinki: BTH1V Nasdaq: BITI | |
| Industry | Biotechnology |
| Founded | 1998 |
| Headquarters | Turku, Finland |
Key people | Timo Veromaa (CEO), Peter Fellner (Chairman of the Board) |
| Revenue |  € 4.8 million (2012)[1] |
| (€25.6 million) (2012)[1] | |
Number of employees | 38 (end 2012)[1] |
| Website | Biotie.com |
Biotie Therapies is a Finnish biotechnology and pharmaceutics company. The company's research and development is focused on drugs for neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders like Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and other cognitive disorders, alcohol and drug dependence and post traumatic stress disorder, and inflammatory and fibrotic liver disease. The company's headquarters is in Turku, Western Finland, and it is listed on NASDAQ OMX Helsinki.
Overview
Biotie Therapies was formed in the merger of Biotie Therapies Corp. (incorporated in 1998),[2] Oy Contral Pharma Ltd and Carbion Inc in the year 2002. In 2008, Biotie Therapies acquired the German pharmaceutical discovery and development company elbion GmbH in Radebeul. In 2010 Biotie Therapies all preclinical assets were transferred into a new company, biocrea GmbH, in which Biotie become a minority shareholder. In 2011, Biotie acquired a pharmaceutical company Synosia.[3]
The company has partnering agreements with H. Lundbeck A/S and UCB.[4][5]
Product pipeline
| Name | Target indications | Partner | Status | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Selincro™ (nalmefene) | alcohol dependence | Lundbeck | EU marketing authorization received [6] | |
| Tozadenant SYN115 | Parkinson's disease | UCB | Phase III clinical trials to start 2015 [7] | |
| VAP-1 antibody | inflammatory diseases | - | Phase I clinical trials ready, seeking partner | |
| SYN120 | AD, cognitive disorders | - | Phase I clinical trials ready, seeking partner | |
| Nepicastat SYN117 | PTSD, cocaine dependency | NIDA | PTSD: Phase II clinical trials, results [8] Cocaine dependency: Phase II clinical trials, in progress | |
| Ronomilast | COPD | - | Phase I clinical trials ready, seeking partner | |
| Nitisinone SYN118 | Movement disorder | UCB | Phase II clinical trials, terminated [9] | |
| Sources:[10] | ||||
Selincro™ (nalmefene)
The company's most advanced product, Nalmefene, for the treatment of alcoholism. Biotie’s partner H. Lundbeck A/S received European marketing authorization from the European Commission on 28 February 2013. Lundbeck expects to launch Selincro in its first markets in middle of 2013.[6]
Studies have shown, that nalmefene has the ability to significantly limit both the patient's average alcohol intake and the number of days with an intake above five units of alcohol. The drug works by removing the patient's desire to drink more, thereby controlling and limiting the intake of alcohol. The drug will be used in tablet form, and taken only according to need. According to the company this is a novel approach for alcohol dependency treatment; existing treatments are aimed at keeping the patient from drinking and the drugs have to be taken continuously over a longer period of time.[4][11][12]
Tozadenant
SYN115 also called tozadenant is developed for Parkinson's disease. The product has a potential to be the first new treatment modality for the disease in more than 20 years. The product is an orally administered, potent and selective inhibitor of the adenosine 2a receptor. It is being developed for the treatment of Parkinson's disease, but may also have potential for other CNS disorders.[13]
VAP-1
Vascular Adhesion Protein-1 (VAP-1) monoclonal antibody - intended for treatment of inflammatory diseases, is currently in Phase I clinical trials with rheumatoid arthritis patients. According to the company, inhibiting VAP-1 reduces inflammation by regulating the migration of leukocytes, or white blood cells, to inflamed tissues. Pathological accumulation of white blood cells in tissue is a common feature in many autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis, and psoriasis.[14]
Nepicastat
SYN117 also called nepicastat is a treatment for cocaine dependency and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It is orally administered, potent and selective inhibitor of the enzyme dopamine β-hydroxylase (DBH).[15]
Ronomilast
Ronomilast is a PDE4 inhibitor for chronic inflammatory disorders. It is a small molecule phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitor (PDE4). The product is developed for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Data from pre-clinical and early clinical trials indicates that the product has a good safety profile. Biotie is in the process of planning a Phase 2 trial in COPD patients and also seeking a partner for late-stage development of ronomilast.[16]
References
- ^ a b c "Financial statements 2012" (PDF). Biotie Therapies. Retrieved 9 March 2013.
- ^ House, Douglas W. (5 June 2015). "Biotie Therapies on deck for U.S. debut". Seeking Alpha.
- ^ "Biotie.com, Investors". February 2, 2011.
- ^ a b Biotie Therapies Oyj Company Description Business Week
- ^ "Biotie.com, Collaborations". February 14, 2013.
- ^ a b "Biotie: Selincro (nalmefene) receives European marketing authorization". 28 February 2013.
- ^ "Stock Exchange Release 27 February 2013". 27 February 2013.
- ^ [1] Stock Exchange release 27 December 2012
- ^ [2] Stock Exchange release 23 November 2011
- ^ "Biotie.com, Pipeline". February 14, 2013.
- ^ Lundbeck announces start of new phase III clinical trials with nalmefene STOCK EXCHANGE RELEASE 15 December 2008 at 9.30 a.m
- ^ Balanced CNS and inflammation product pipeline Company website 2008-03-15
- ^ "Biotie.com, SYN115 (tozadenant): A highly differentiated product for Parkinson's disease". March 26, 2012.
- ^ INTERIM REPORT ON BIOTIE THERAPIES CORP. JANUARY 1 - SEPTEMBER 30, 2008
- ^ "Biotie.com, SYN117 (nepicastat) for the treatment of cocaine dependency and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)". March 26, 2012.
- ^ "Biotie.com, Ronomilast: PDE4 inhibitor for chronic inflammatory disorders". March 26, 2012.