AlgiPharma Adds to its Intellectual Property Portfolio

AlgiPharma was recently granted patent protection for its European Patent No. 3528830 (17791037.9) Polymyxin-alginate oligomer conjugates. This adds to AlgiPharma’s growing patent portfolio.

 

About AlgiPharma AS:

AlgiPharma AS is a clinical stage pharmaceutical company, founded in 2006 on decades of research and development carried out by FMC BioPolymer AS and the Institute of Biotechnology at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim, Norway. AlgiPharma has completed 6 clinical trials with two formulations of its lead drug candidate, OligoG, to treat respiratory symptoms of cystic fibrosis.

AlgiPharma owns or licenses all relevant patents upon which the technology platform and products are developed. The company is supported by national and international research programs, and collaborates with a network of key opinion leaders, highly recognized academic institutions, research and patient organizations in Europe and USA.

AlgiPharma has received more than USD 46 million in research and development grants from EU’s 7th framework program, Horizon 2020, and Eurostars programs, the Norwegian Research Council, Innovate UK, Innovation Norway, US Army through Congressional Earmark funding, the Australian R&D Tax Incentive, and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF).

AlgiPharma is a privately owned company registered and domiciled in Norway.

For additional information contact:

Yngvar P. Berg, CEO: yngvar.berg@algipharma.com

Arne Dessen, COO and Chairman of the Board: arne.dessen@algipharma.com

 

AlgiPharma Study Published on Potentiation of Colistin.

AlgiPharma’s collaboration partners in Cardiff University have recently published an article on the potentiating effects of AlgiPharma’s alginate oligosaccharide technology:

 

Stokniene J, Varache M, Rye PD, Hill KE, Thomas DW, Ferguson EL. Alginate oligosaccharides enhance diffusion and activity of colistin in a mucin-rich environment. Sci Rep. 2022 Mar 23;12(1):4986. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-08927-1. PMID: 35322119; PMCID: PMC8943044.

In a number of chronic respiratory diseases e.g. cystic fibrosis (CF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the production of viscous mucin reduces pulmonary function and represents an effective barrier to diffusion of inhaled therapies e.g. antibiotics. Here, a 2-compartment Transwell model was developed to study impaired diffusion of the antibiotic colistin across an artificial sputum (AS) matrix/medium and to quantify its antimicrobial activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa NH57388A biofilms (alone and in combination with mucolytic therapy). High-performance liquid chromatography coupled with fluorescence detection (HPLC-FLD) revealed that the presence of AS medium significantly reduced the rate of colistin diffusion (> 85% at 48 h; p < 0.05). Addition of alginate oligosaccharide (OligoG CF-5/20) significantly improved colistin diffusion by 3.7 times through mucin-rich AS medium (at 48 h; p < 0.05). Increased diffusion of colistin with OligoG CF-5/20 was shown (using confocal laser scanning microscopy and COMSTAT image analysis) to be associated with significantly increased bacterial killing (p < 0.05). These data support the use of this model to study drug and small molecule delivery across clinically-relevant diffusion barriers. The findings indicate the significant loss of colistin and reduced effectiveness that occurs with mucin binding, and support the use of mucolytics to improve antimicrobial efficacy and lower antibiotic exposure.

 

About AlgiPharma AS:

AlgiPharma AS is a clinical stage pharmaceutical company, founded in 2006 on decades of research and development carried out by FMC BioPolymer AS and the Institute of Biotechnology at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim, Norway. AlgiPharma has completed 6 clinical trials with two formulations of its lead drug candidate, OligoG, to treat respiratory symptoms of cystic fibrosis.

AlgiPharma owns or licenses all relevant patents upon which the technology platform and products are developed. The company is supported by national and international research programs, and collaborates with a network of key opinion leaders, highly recognized academic institutions, research and patient organizations in Europe and USA.

AlgiPharma has received more than USD 46 million in research and development grants from EU’s 7th framework program, Horizon 2020, and Eurostars programs, the Norwegian Research Council, Innovate UK, Innovation Norway, US Army through Congressional Earmark funding, the Australian R&D Tax Incentive, and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF).

AlgiPharma is a privately owned company registered and domiciled in Norway.

For additional information contact:

Yngvar P. Berg, CEO: yngvar.berg@algipharma.com

Arne Dessen, COO and Chairman of the Board: arne.dessen@algipharma.com

 

AlgiPharma Phase 2 Burkholderia Study Published.

AlgiPharma in collaboration with its clinical trials team for the randomized clinical trial NCT02453789 in CF has recently been published:

Fischer R, Schwarz C, Weiser R, Mahenthiralingam E, Smerud K, Meland N, Flaten H, Rye PD. Evaluating the alginate oligosaccharide (OligoG) as a therapy for Burkholderia cepacia complex cystic fibrosis lung infection. J Cyst Fibros. 2022 Sep;21(5):821-829. doi: 10.1016/j.jcf.2022.01.003. Epub 2022 Jan 24. PMID: 35086790.

OligoG has previously shown potentiation of aztreonam against Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc) through biofilm disruption. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over design was used to evaluate safety and efficacy of inhaled OligoG as a therapy for Bcc-infected CF patients taking aztreonam. Subjects received OligoG (1050 mg daily) or matching placebo for 28-days. Of 14 subjects completing the study, 8 showed a mean decrease in total bacterial CFU’s (0.82 log10) after OligoG treatment. There was a reduction in mean Bcc CFU’s (2.19 log10) after OligoG treatment but this was not statistically significant. Rheology analysis showed improvements in phase-angle after OligoG, but there was no statistically significant improvement in lung function parameters. Six out of 12 QoL summary scores showed relative improvement after OligoG treatment compared to placebo. There was a favourable safety profile for OligoG. Potential for reducing Bcc warrants further investigation of OligoG for the treatment of infection in CF.

 

About AlgiPharma AS:

AlgiPharma AS is a clinical stage pharmaceutical company, founded in 2006 on decades of research and development carried out by FMC BioPolymer AS and the Institute of Biotechnology at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim, Norway. AlgiPharma has completed 6 clinical trials with two formulations of its lead drug candidate, OligoG, to treat respiratory symptoms of cystic fibrosis.

AlgiPharma owns or licenses all relevant patents upon which the technology platform and products are developed. The company is supported by national and international research programs, and collaborates with a network of key opinion leaders, highly recognized academic institutions, research and patient organizations in Europe and USA.

AlgiPharma has received more than USD 46 million in research and development grants from EU’s 7th framework program, Horizon 2020, and Eurostars programs, the Norwegian Research Council, Innovate UK, Innovation Norway, US Army through Congressional Earmark funding, the Australian R&D Tax Incentive, and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF).

AlgiPharma is a privately owned company registered and domiciled in Norway.

For additional information contact:

Yngvar P. Berg, CEO: yngvar.berg@algipharma.com

Arne Dessen, COO and Chairman of the Board: arne.dessen@algipharma.com

 

AlgiPharma in the News: GlobalNewswire and DelveInsight’s Business Report.

January 27th 2022

AlgiPharma was featured in DelveInsights’s “Cystic Fibrosis Pipeline Insight, 2022” report that provides insight on company and pipeline activities in the Cystic Fibrosis therapeutics landscape.

The report highlights around 60+ products under development by companies working on novel opportunities that could influence Cystic Fibrosis treatment. The report provides insights into different therapeutic candidates in phase II, I, preclinical and discovery stage. It analyses Cystic Fibrosis therapeutic drugs key players involved in developing key drugs.

See also GlobalNewswire summary.

 

About AlgiPharma AS:

AlgiPharma AS is a clinical stage pharmaceutical company, founded in 2006 on decades of research and development carried out by FMC BioPolymer AS and the Institute of Biotechnology at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim, Norway. AlgiPharma has completed 5 clinical trials with two formulations of its lead drug candidate, OligoG, to treat respiratory symptoms of cystic fibrosis.

AlgiPharma owns or licenses all relevant patents upon which the technology platform and products are developed. The company is supported by national and international research programs, and collaborates with a network of key opinion leaders, highly recognized academic institutions, research and patient organizations in Europe and USA.

AlgiPharma has received more than USD 46 million in research and development grants from EU’s 7th framework program, Horizon 2020, and Eurostars programs, the Norwegian Research Council, Innovate UK, Innovation Norway, US Army through Congressional Earmark funding, the Australian R&D Tax Incentive, and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF).

AlgiPharma is a privately owned company registered and domiciled in Norway.

For additional information contact:

Yngvar P. Berg, CEO: yngvar.berg@algipharma.com

Arne Dessen, COO and Chairman of the Board: arne.dessen@algipharma.com

 

AlgiPharma secures 22 MNOK in non-dilutive funding for development of its antimicrobial alginate oligosaccharide technology, with the goal to enhance fighting multidrug resistance.

AlgiPharma has been awarded up to NOK 16 million from the Norwegian Research Councils Innovation Project for the Industrial Sector program for the project “Therapeutic Alginates for Resistant and Recurrent Infections: Generating Eradication Therapies (TARRGET)”. The project grant awarded from the Research Council combined with the Norwegian government tax incentive scheme (SkatteFUNN) results in a total award value for AlgiPharma of about NOK 22 million (about EUR 2.2 MM / USD 2.5 MM).

The project will last for 3 years and will involve the development of new product candidates based on its proprietary alginate oligosaccharide technology to enhance the properties of antimicrobial therapeutics. The project is expected to improve the bioavailability and efficacy of therapeutics to their target sites, allowing for improved dosing regimens for the patient, while also reducing the potential for drug toxicity, resistance, and tolerance. The project will provide AlgiPharma with novel candidates for pharmaceutical and biomedical uses, while also contributing to the stimulation of new market opportunities.

 

About AlgiPharma AS:

AlgiPharma AS is a clinical stage pharmaceutical company, founded in 2006 on decades of research and development carried out by FMC BioPolymer AS and the Institute of Biotechnology at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim, Norway. AlgiPharma has completed 5 clinical trials with two formulations of its lead drug candidate, OligoG, to treat respiratory symptoms of cystic fibrosis.

AlgiPharma owns or licenses all relevant patents upon which the technology platform and products are developed. The company is supported by national and international research programs, and collaborates with a network of key opinion leaders, highly recognized academic institutions, research and patient organizations in Europe and USA.

AlgiPharma has received more than USD 46 million in research and development grants from EU’s 7th framework program, Horizon 2020, and Eurostars programs, the Norwegian Research Council, Innovate UK, US Army through Congressional Earmark funding, and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF).

AlgiPharma is a privately owned company registered and domiciled in Norway.

For additional information contact:

Yngvar P. Berg, CEO: yngvar.berg@algipharma.com

Arne Dessen, COO and Chairman of the Board: arne.dessen@algipharma.com

AlgiPharma awarded 16 MNOK grant from the Norwegian Research Council’s Innovation Project for the Industrial Sector program.

AlgiPharma has been awarded up to NOK 16 million from the Norwegian Research Councils Innovation Project for the Industrial Sector program for the project “Fermentation Scaleup for Manufacturing of Pharmaceutical Alginate Oligosaccharides (Algi-SCALEUP).”

The project will last for 3 years and will demonstrate commercial scale production of alginate oligomers of pharmaceutical quality through large scale cost-effective microbial fermentation with concomitant large-scale downstream processing. The project will provide AlgiPharma with an alternative source of high-grade alginates for pharmaceutical and biomedical uses, while also contributing to the stimulation of new market opportunities.

 

About AlgiPharma AS:

AlgiPharma AS is a clinical stage pharmaceutical company, founded in 2006 on decades of research and development carried out by FMC BioPolymer AS and the Institute of Biotechnology at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim, Norway. AlgiPharma has completed 5 clinical trials with two formulations of its lead drug candidate, OligoG, to treat respiratory symptoms of cystic fibrosis.

AlgiPharma owns or licenses all relevant patents upon which the technology platform and products are developed. The company is supported by national and international research programs, and collaborates with a network of key opinion leaders, highly recognized academic institutions, research and patient organizations in Europe and USA.

AlgiPharma has received more than USD 37 million in research and development grants from EU’s 7th framework program, Horizon 2020, and Eurostars programs, the Norwegian Research Council, Innovate UK, US Army through Congressional Earmark funding, and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF). Please see latest award from CFF.

AlgiPharma is a privately owned company registered and domiciled in Norway.

For additional information contact:

Yngvar P. Berg, CEO: yngvar.berg@algipharma.com

Arne Dessen, COO and Chairman of the Board: arne.dessen@algipharma.com

AlgiPharma is Recruiting – Again!

Director Clinical Research / Chief Medical Officer

AlgiPharma is interested to hear from high caliber, energetic candidates to join the team at our Norwegian office in Sandvika. The deadline for applications is the 24th May 2020 (see links below for further details).

More details can be found at:

www.borka.no/jobb/director-clinical-research-chief-medical-officer/

www.finn.no/177948590

www.linkedin.com/groups/2085624

www.linkedin.com/company/borka-consulting

www.facebook.com/BorkaRekruttering

twitter.com/Borka_Pharma

www.instagram.com/borka_rekruttering/

 

New parent company in the AlgiPharma group

AlgiPharma AS acquired by AlgiPharma AB

On December 20, 2019 the Swedish AlgiPharma AB finalized the acquisition of the Norwegian AlgiPharma AS. All shareholders in AlgiPharma AS accepted the offer from AlgiPharma AB which means that the shareholders have the same number of shares and ownership percentage in the new parent company AlgiPharma AB as they previously had in AlgiPharma AS. Most of the operations will continue to be run in the Norwegian subsidiary AlgiPharma AS.

AlgiPharma appoints new CFO

AlgiPharma appoints Fredrik Alpsten as new Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

Mr Alpsten has an MSc degree from Stockholm School of Economics. He has 25 years of operational, financial, and strategic business experience as an executive in the life science field. He has served as Senior Vice President and CFO of Boule Diagnostics AB, a Swedish publicly-traded diagnostics company. During his time at Boule, he also served as President and CEO of Clinical Diagnostic Solutions Inc., a US subsidiary of Boule. He has also been CFO and Deputy CEO of IRRAS AB, a Swedish listed med-tech company and President and CEO of Doxa AB, a Swedish publicly-traded medical technology company. He currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Personlig Almanacka Nordic AB. He is also a board member and chairman of the audit committee of Binero Group AB (listed at Nasdaq) and board member of Pharmetheus AB.

AlgiPharma is Recruiting

AlgiPharma announces two new positions avaliable.

AlgiPharma is interested to hear from high caliber, energetic candidates to join the team at our Norwegian office in Sandvika. Preference will be given to those candidates already resident in Norway or who are already eligible to work in Norway. The deadline for applications is the 12th May 2019 (see local press advertisement for details on how to submit).

R&D Project Manager

The candidate will proactively manage the day to day running of multiple R&D projects, coordinating with key internal and external stakeholders to advance our portfolio of products for cystic fibrosis, respiratory, wound healing, and other indications based on our alginate oligomer technology. Focused on development of new indications the candidate will develop these project to proof-of-concept (POC) studies in man and cooperate with colleagues and external parties to initiate these studies. The candidate will work collaboratively with a focus on effective planning, coordination of activities, and efficient implementation of R&D strategy. This will include working with external academic and clinical partners, Contract Research Organizations (CROs) and suppliers. The candidate will have demonstrated clear organizational skills and experience of project management in the biotech/biopharma industry, and have relevant experience in R&D and chemical/biotechnological manufacturing. Previous experience establishing effective working relationships in a virtual organization is an asset. The candidate will report directly to the Chief Scientific Officer.

The ideal candidate has:

  • PhD in biological science or a related field.
  • 5+ years’ experience as a Project Manager.
  • Experience in managing multiple project accounts and familiarity applying to funding agencies and reporting on project grants.
  • Experience of project management in the biotechnology or pharmaceutical industry.
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office programs and tools.
  • Excellent communication and presentation skills in Norwegian and English.

Clinical Trial Manager

We are looking for a well-organized, detail-oriented and flexible candidate to join the clinical team managing the daily operations in the progress of our clinical trials. The candidate will help develop and maintain documentation and materials for clinical trials, working closely with trial sites, and external CRO staff. The candidate will manage multiple aspects of running complex international multicenter trials, including site visits, generate and distribute internal and external reports and newsletters, and liaise with relevant parties regarding all trial aspects. The candidate will play a leading role in generating and overseeing documentation and records, and will work closely with other staff ensuring compliance with relevant guidelines. The candidate will report directly to the Clinical Director.

The ideal candidate has:

  • Bachelor’s degree or higher in biological science, medicine, pharmaceutical, nursing or a related field.
  • 3+ years’ experience as a Clinical Research Associate.
  • Knowledge of pharmaceutical industry, terminology and practices.
  • Knowledge of EU and FDA regulations and their practical implementation.
  • Excellent communication and presentation skills in Norwegian and English.
  • Proficiency in Microsoft Office programs and tools. Experience with commonly used IT tools for clinical trial data collection and analysis.
  • Ability to manage and prioritize workload effectively.
  • Available to travel extensively, and occasionally on short notice.

About AlgiPharma

AlgiPharma AS is dedicated to the development and commercialization of novel therapeutics, based on our patented alginate oligomer technology that will help transform the lives of patients with chronic diseases: Helping patients and their families towards a better day. www.algipharma.com – A better day

AlgiPharma is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company with a primary focus on respiratory diseases and other conditions caused by microbial infections and biofilms. Our aim is to address unmet medical needs and fight diseases effectively through our innovative alginate technologies. Our alginate technology targets those diseases where there is a clinical need to mitigate abnormal mucus accumulation, microbial infection, biofilm formation and antibiotic resistance. AlgiPharma is developing its first drug candidate for patients with Cystic Fibrosis (CF), where we hold orphan drug status with EMA and FDA. To date we have won about NOK 300 million in Government and NGO support including NOK 120 million from the American Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. We have completed 5 clinical trials to date, and will be initiating 2 more phase 2b multinational trials this spring and summer. The AlgiPharma technology has multiple applications including other respiratory diseases such as COPD, infection, wound healing, and medical device coatings. Building on the success and exciting developments of our technology, the team at AlgiPharma is expanding to meet the demands of bringing our first drug candidate to market.

What we offer:

  • Engaging working environment at a dynamic company on the verge of delivering the first of its drug candidates to market.
  • Opportunity for self-development, such as training courses and/or conferences.
  • A dynamic working atmosphere.
  • Flexibly in working hours to maintain a good work-life balance.
  • Great health insurance plan.
  • Excellent remuneration package, including the opportunity to attend relevant training and education courses and congresses.