Exscientia begins China AI drug discovery tie-up with GT Apeiron

pharmaphorum | June 12, 2019

UK Artificial Intelligence (AI) drug discovery firm Exscientia has begun a collaboration with Chinas GT Apeiron Therapeutics, focusing on oncology. As part of the agreement, Exscientia gets share options in GT Apeiron as well as receiving milestones and royalties based on the clinical, regulatory and commercial success of each programme. GT Apeiron was launched by GT Healthcare Capital Partners, a life science-focused private equity partnership, with $27 million financial backing. Exscientia will use its Centaur Chemist AI fast drug discovery platform, taking advantage of China’s investment in pharma and AI to improve the speed of discovery of new treatments for patients in the country, and globally. Based in Oxford, Exscientia’s existing partnerships include collaborations with Celgene, Roche, GSK, Sanofi and Evotec. Exscientia earlier this year opened a new office in Osaka, Japan, strengthening its presence in Asia. The company is one of several focused on AI drug research – London-based BenevolentAI is another example of this new approach to pharma R&D, which aims to use the predictive power of AI to make drug discovery more efficient and increase the chances of a molecule proving effective and safe in the clinic. Exscientia says its systems learn from both existing data resou

Spotlight

With complex development processes and stringent regulatory requirements, the path to developing a combination product can seem uncertain and fraught with risk. All elements of the delivery system must comply with the highest quality and regulatory standards.

Spotlight

With complex development processes and stringent regulatory requirements, the path to developing a combination product can seem uncertain and fraught with risk. All elements of the delivery system must comply with the highest quality and regulatory standards.

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BUSINESS INSIGHTS

Closed Loop Medicine and Pharmanovia enter a co-development partnership for precision medicine combination therapeutics

Businesswire | May 22, 2023

Closed Loop Medicine Ltd, a leading TechBio company, developing combination prescription drug plus software therapy products that enable personalized dose optimization, and Pharmanovia, a global pharmaceutical company that commercializes novel medicines and revitalizes, extends and expands the lifecycle of established medicines, today announced that they have entered a global co-development partnership. The partnership will initially focus on the development and launch of a drug + software combination version of a first-line anti-hypertensive in the UK, before phased global roll-out and additional therapies are added. Hypertension is the leading preventable cause of morbidity and premature death worldwide, impacting over 1 in 4 men and 1 in 5 women, and costing the NHS alone over £2.1 billion/year (1, 2). Managing high-blood pressure through medication and lifestyle modifications significantly reduces associated health risks and improves quality of life; research in the US demonstrating improved standards of care could prevent 91,900 heart attacks, 139,000 strokes and 115,400 cardiovascular deaths within just 5 years (3). However, poor drug tolerability and treatment-related side effects significantly impact adherence, with less than 50% of patients maintaining their treatment regimen after a year, ultimately hindering treatment effectiveness, patient outcomes and overall disease management (4). As part of this partnership, Closed Loop Medicine’s proprietary Software-as-a-Medical Device (SaMD) dosing optimization technology will be combined with Pharmanovia’s established anti-hypertensive medicines, under a single prescription. Recent preliminary clinical trial results have demonstrated that Closed Loop Medicine’s technology may provide the ability to dose optimize drug therapy, improve blood pressure control, and minimize side effects (5). By developing a new class of combination products for the treatment of hypertension, both companies aim to support patients and healthcare professionals to better manage high blood pressure. Dr. Hakim Yadi OBE, CEO & Co-Founder of Closed Loop Medicine, commented: “This pioneering partnership is a great example of where the power of software integration can add value to iconic medicines to make them more effective for patients. Through this co-development agreement, we will bring our IP, insight and technical know-how of dose optimized drug plus software integration alongside Pharmanovia’s innovative business model, to enable well-known and trusted brands to be positioned as value-driven precision medicine product solutions globally.” Dr. James Burt, CEO of Pharmanovia, said: “Combining our experience in lifecycle management with Closed Loop Medicine’s unique approach and technology is an exciting next step in our strategy. It enables us to use innovative technology to enhance established medicines and bring much needed innovation to an area of large-scale unmet need. Together we aim to deliver a first in class combination regulated software and medicine – with the aim of delivering better patient outcomes, while enabling healthcare systems to reduce costly hospital procedures through better adherence and patient engagement.” AboutPharmanovia Pharmanovia is a global lifecycle management healthcare company. Our purpose is to make medicines fit for tomorrow, to improve the lives of patients globally. We do this by enhancing established medicines either by rediscovering, repurposing or re-engineering iconic brands to improve patient outcomes and experiences both through in-house development and through strategic partnerships.

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BUSINESS INSIGHTS, PHARMA TECH

Specialty Pharma Expert Adopts Name of Global Parent to Reflect Breadth of Offer That Brings a Rare and Special Perspective to the Market

Businesswire | April 26, 2023

Global healthcare and business consulting services provider, Terebellum, has chosen to adopt the name of its global parent, AscellaHealth, to reflect the scale of its operations and breadth of expertise. The business specialises in providing end-to-end solutions to pharmaceutical manufacturers and other industry stakeholders to streamline product commercialisation, improve medication access, reduce costs and enhance patient outcomes for specialty and rare disease patients. Based in Dublin, Ireland and Manchester, UK, former Terebellum provides pre-commercialisation and market access support, supply chain logistics, distribution and fulfilment and unique pharmaceutical financial services to UK and European pharmaceutical manufacturers and healthcare organisations. Adopting the brand name of its parent company, AscellaHealth, will enable the specialty pharma expert to demonstrate its full range of expertise, international insight and distinctiveness of offer. Upon Terebellum’s transition to the AscellaHealth brand identity in its market-facing activities, the company will continue to maintain current business operations, client relationships and dedication to patient-centric care. Craig Caceci, Managing Director at AscellaHealth EU/UK, said: “It’s our strong belief that to optimise outcomes in specialty healthcare a specialised approach is needed, due to the specific challenges associated with rare conditions. “The AscellaHealth name provides an opportunity to highlight how we are perfectly positioned to offer uniquely tailored solutions across the globe to ensure streamlined medication access and the best possible treatment journey for rare and orphan disease patients.” In a recent customer survey carried out by AscellaHealth, 100 percent of respondents agreed that the organisation presents unique value in the market and is uniquely qualified to address their needs. Craig adds: “Supporting patients, life science manufacturers, payers and providers, we bring expertise and care to every requirement to develop and implement novel approaches that ensure patients with rare diseases can get the treatment they need, when they need it most. “Our new brand tagline, ‘a rare and special perspective’, captures our dedication to applying knowledge and expertise to improve health outcomes of rare disease and specialty patients, perfectly.” AscellaHealth, co-founded by Dea Belazi, President & CEO and Bill Oldham, Chairman & CFO in 2013, employs nearly 200 employees worldwide to provide integrated end-to-end solutions that span the entire pharmaceutical lifecycle and beyond, supporting all segments of the specialty pharma industry. Former Terebellum joins US-based pharmacy distribution and patient-management organisation, Optime Care, in adopting the name of parent AscellaHealth, to form one globally-recognised brand for specialty pharma expertise. About AscellaHealth LLC AscellaHealth, a global Healthcare & Specialty Pharmacy solutions organisation, serving patients, life sciences manufacturers, payers, and providers, offers a comprehensive portfolio of uniquely tailored, tech-enabled services supporting complex, chronic conditions or rare diseases that require specialty medications and/or cell and gene therapies. A recipient of numerous industry awards for innovation, and a NASP Strategic Channel Partner of the Year award winner, AscellaHealth’s best-in-class, patient-centric approach is built upon proprietary technology processes for novel programs and services to support the launch of specialty medications and proactively address multiple challenges, optimise clinical health outcomes, and improve quality of life for this patient population. AscellaHealth brings a rare and special perspective to all stakeholders.

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PHARMA TECH

Ginkgo Bioworks and Centrient Pharmaceutical Announce Expansion of Partnership Following Success of initial Project to Bring Innovation to Generic API

PR Newswire | May 26, 2023

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