Pressrelease August 22, 2011, New drug for epidemic keratoconjunctivitis EKC

Researchers from Lund University and Umeå University associated with Adenovir Pharma AB have published in the prestigious Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. the discovery of a new drug candidate for the treatment of EKC, a serious eye disease. Adenovir Pharma is developing the drug candidate in the form of eye drops for treating infectious EKC for which there is currently no treatment.

The eye disease EKC is caused by adenoviruses which bind to a molecule on the surface of  human corneal cells in the eye.  The new drug candidate has been shown to prevent the virus from binding to and infecting these cells. The drug captures the disease-causing virus thereby preventing infection. One significant advantage of such a pharmaceutical is that it acts outside the cell, which minimizes the risk of developing viral resistance.

"The way this drug works can be compared with a molecular wipe that soaks up virus particles.  In treating the early stages of the acute phase, you can remove the free viruses and new viruses that are forming thereby reducing symptoms, speeding up healing and avoiding effects such as impaired vision and the risk of infecting the patient’s other eye or spreading the infection within families, schools and work places, "said Professor Niklas Arnberg at Umeå University.

"Every year, millions of people around the world are affected by this eye disease. This research and discovery give hope that it might be possible to develop a new drug to treat these patients, "says Professor Ulf Ellervik at Lund University.

For more information see:
Molecular wipes: application to epidemic keratoconjuctivitis,  J. Med. Chem.
August 15, 2011: http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jm200545m

About epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (EKC)
External ocular infections caused by adenoviruses are among the most common eye infections worldwide and conjunctivitis represents a large proportion of visits to ophthalmologists. Epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (EKC) caused by adenoviruses is a serious, highly contagious disease that affects millions of people every year. EKC occurs sporadically and epidemically and is endemic in many regions. The economic and social costs of community epidemics are high. Work places, public institutions, such as schools and children’s’ day care centres, must be closed following the outbreak of an epidemic. Many work hours are lost every year as a consequence of the disease. It has gained recognition as a major health problem in some regions. A pharmaceutical therapy that could be used to treat EKC as well as to prevent its spread would be highly desirable for patients, those who come into contact with patients, and treating physicians. Currently there is no approved treatment and patients with EKC get no medical therapy other than for symptomatic relief.   

About Adenovir Pharma AB
Adenovir Pharma is a project company of the life science incubator P.U.L.S. AB. based in Helsingborg, Sweden. For more information visit www.pulsinvest.se. Adenovir Pharma is developing proprietary technology for new anti-viral pharmaceutical solutions for the treatment of infectious diseases affecting the eyes. The initial development has been conducted by Professors Olov Sterner and Ulf Ellervik at the University of Lund, Department of Organic Chemistry, in collaboration with researches at the University of Umeå and in collaboration with P.U.L.S. and external service providers specialized in drug development. The important research at Umeå on adenovirus receptor molecules has also recently been published in the prestigious journal Nature Medicine and highlighted in the equally highly ranked journal Nature Reviews Drug Discovery. For more information visit www.adenovir.com.

Contact information
For further information about Adenovir Pharma AB,  contact project leader Björn Dellgren. Telephone: +46 42 38 74 17, mobile: +46 707 455 005.   Email: bjorn.dellgren@adenovir.com

Pressrelease April 12 2011, Adenovir Pharma raises 10.7 million SEK for the development of eye medication.

Adenovir Pharma has raised SEK 10.7 million via a rights issue to fund continuing development of a new drug for the treatment of infectious eye disease caused by viruses, which infections annually affect millions of people.  There are currently no effective treatments for these infections.

The capital injection will be used for ongoing product development and pre-clinical and clinical studies.  Major financiers for the issue include BWG Holding, P.U.L.S. AB, Länsförsäkringar Skåne, Sparbanksstiftelsen Skånes Riskkapitalstiftelse, and Augmenta.

"We are very pleased with the development of this exciting Swedish project and, of course, for the support we have from our funders," said Niklas Arnberg of Umeå University, one of the innovators.

William Gunnarsson, of BWG Holding, which subscribed to the issue as a new major investor in Adenovir Pharma, stated "I believe the project has performed well since its inception and has the potential to solve significant unmet medical needs in addition to possibly being a good investment."

About Epidemic Keratoconjunctivitis (EKC).
External ocular infections caused by adenoviruses are among the most common eye infections seen worldwide, and conjunctivitis accounts for a large proportion of patient visits to ophthalmologists.  Epidemic Keratoconjunctivitis (EKC), which is caused by adenoviruses, is a serious and highly-contagious disease that is common worldwide.  EKC affects millions of people each year.  EKC occurs sporadically and epidemically, and is endemic in many regions.  The economic and social costs of community EKC epidemics are high.  Work places and public institutions, such as schools and children’s day care centres, must be closed when the outbreak of an EKC epidemic is detected.  Many work hours are lost each year as a consequence of the disease.  EKC has gained recognition as a major health problem in affected regions.  A pharmaceutical therapy that may be used to both treat EKC and to prevent the spread of infection is highly desirable for affected patients, for those who come into contact with such patients, and for treating physicians.  Currently, there are no approved treatments and patients with EKC receive no medical therapy other than for symptomatic relief.

About Adenovir Pharma AB
Adenovir Pharma is a project company of the life science incubator P.U.L.S. AB, based in Helsingborg, Sweden (for further information, please visit www.pulsinvest.se).  Adenovir Pharma possesses proprietary technology for the development of new anti-viral pharmaceutical solutions useful for the treatment of infectious diseases affecting the eyes. The initial development was carried out by Professors Olav Sterner and Ulf Ellervik at Lund University, Department of Organic Chemistry, in collaboration with researchers at Umeå University, with P.U.L.S., and with external service providers specialized in pharmaceutical development.  The importance of the research carried out at Umeå University on adenovirus receptor molecules has recently been highlighted through publication in the prestigious journal Nature Medicine, and also in the equally high-ranking journal Nature Reviews Drug Discovery.  Adenovir Pharma is also developing a new drug in the form of eye drops for the treatment of EKC (for more information visit www.adenovir.com).

Contact information
Further information about Adenovir Pharma AB may be obtained by contacting the project leader, Björn Dellgren (telephone: +46 42 38 74 17; mobile: +46 707 455 005; email: bjorn.dellgren@adenovir.com).

Pressrelease March 16, 2011, Adenovir Pharma strengthens its patents for the treatment of eye infections

Adenovir Pharma’s international patent application relating to a novel compound for the treatment of the serious eye infection, epidemic Keratoconjunctivitis (EKC), has recently been published. The international search report issued by the European patent office (EPO) concludes that the compound, as well as its use for treatment of EKC, is patentable by the EPO.

Previously the company´s first patent, which relates to its technology platform, had been approved in important markets like EU, USA, China, Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong.

Based upon research at the Department of Virology, University of Umeå, and in collaboration with researchers at the Department of Organic Chemistry, University of Lund, development of a new pharmaceutical product for the treatment of EKC was performed by Adenovir Pharma.

About epidemic Keratoconjunctivitis (EKC)
Worldwide, external ocular infections caused by adenoviruses are among the most common eye infections, with conjunctivitis representing a large proportion of patient visits to ophthalmologists. Epidemic Keratoconjunctivitis (EKC) caused by adenoviruses is a serious, highly contagious disease that is common worldwide. EKC affects millions of people every year. EKC occurs sporadically and epidemically and is endemic in many regions. The economic and social costs of community EKC epidemics are high. Work places and public institutions, such as schools and children’s day care centres, must be closed following the outbreak of an EKC epidemic. Many work hours are lost every year as a consequence of the disease. EKC has gained recognition as a major health problem in these regions. A pharmaceutical therapy that could be used to treat EKC as well as to prevent its spread would be highly desirable for patients, for those who come into contact with patients, and for treating physicians. Currently there is no approved treatment and patients with EKC receive no medical therapy other than for symptomatic relief.

About Adenovir Pharma AB
Adenovir Pharma AB is a project company of P.U.L.S. AB, both based in Helsingborg, Sweden. Adenovir Pharma has a proprietary technology for developing new anti-viral pharmaceutical solutions for the treatment of infectious diseases affecting the eyes. Initial research was conducted by Professor Göran Wadell and Associate Professor Niklas Arnberg at the Department of Virology, University of Umeå, and the development of the new compound was made by Professors Olov Sterner and Ulf Ellervik at the Department of Organic Chemistry, University of Lund in collaboration with P.U.L.S. and external service providers specialized in drug development.

www.adenovir.com

For further information about Adenovir Pharma AB, contact Björn Dellgren.

Telephone: +46 707 455 005.   Email: bjorn.dellgren@adenovir.com

Pressrelease March 1, 2011, New discovery could treat serious eye infection

A new molecule has been discovered by virus researchers at Umeå University. This important discovery was recently published in the well respected journal Nature Medicine. The molecule is essential to the virus that causes the serious eye disease epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (EKC). Currently, there is no approved therapy to treat this highly contagious eye infection. This new discovery will form the basis of a new pharmaceutical treatment that will prevent the virus from attaching to the eye thereby preventing the infection.

The researchers, lead by professor Göran Wadell and associate professor Niklas Arnberg, Department of Virology, Umeå University, have shown that EKC-causing adenoviruses bind to a molecule present on the outside of human corneal cells and that this binding is necessary for the cells to be infected. This discovery is being used to design molecules with the ability to prevent the virus from attaching to the eye. Apart from its publication in Nature Medicine, the importance of this discovery has also been noted in the recent edition of the equally prestigious Nature Reviews Drug Discovery.

“Many millions of people around the world are infected every year causing a great deal of suffering. The disease is more common in heavily populated countries, especially in Asia. Adenovirus conjunctivitis is particularly problematic in Japan where there are about one million cases of EKC each year. Our research and this discovery gives hope that it will be possible to develop a new medicine to treatment these patients” says associate professor Niklas Arnberg, Umeå University.

Based on the research at Umeå University and a collaboration with researchers at Lunds University, the development of a new pharmaceutical for the treatment of EKC by the Swedish drug development company Adenovir Pharma is underway.
For more information:

Nature Medicine Published online, 12 December 2010

The GD1a glycan is a cellular receptor for adenoviruses causing epidemic keratoconjunctivitis
http://www.nature.com/search/executeSearch?sp-q=gd1a+glycan&sp-p=all&include-collections=journals_nature%2Ccrawled_content&exclude-collections=journals_palgrave%2Clab_animal%2Cprecedings&pag-start=1&sp-c=25&sp-m=0&sp-s=date_descending&siteCode=nm&sp-q-1=NM

Nature Reviews Drug Discovery. 10, 99 (February 2011) | doi:10.1038/nrd3376
Antivirals: Identifying adenoviral receptors
http://www.nature.com/nrd/journal/v10/n2/full/nrd3376.html


About epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (EKC).
External ocular infections caused by adenoviruses are among the most common eye infections seen worldwide and conjunctivitis represents a large proportion of visits to ophthalmologists. Epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (EKC) caused by adenoviruses is a serious, highly contagious disease that is common worldwide. EKC affects millions of people every year. EKC occurs sporadically and epidemically and is endemic in many regions. The economic and social costs of community epidemics are high. Work places, public institutions, such as schools and childrens’ day care centres, must be closed following the outbreak of an epidemic. Many work hours are lost every year as a consequence of the disease. It has gained recognition as a major health problem in these regions. A pharmaceutical therapy that could be used to treat EKC as well as to prevent its spread would be highly desirable for patients, those who come into contact with patients, and treating physicians. Currently there is no approved treatment and patients with EKC get no medical therapy other than for symptomatic relief.   

About Adenovir Pharma AB
Adenovir Pharma AB is a project company within P.U.L.S. based in Helsingborg, Sweden. The company has a proprietary technology for developing new anti-viral pharmaceutical solutions for the treatment of infectious diseases affecting the eyes. The initial development has been conducted by professor Olov Sterner and professor Ulf Ellervik at the University of Lund, Department of Organic Chemistry, in collaboration with researches at the University of Umeå and in collaboration with P.U.L.S. AB and external service providers specialized in drug development.
www.adenovir.com

Contact information
For further information about the research at Umeå University, contact associate professor Niklas Arnberg. Telephone: +46 90 785 8440  Email: niklas.arnberg@climi.umu.se

For further information about Adenovir Pharma AB,  contact project leader Björn Dellgren. Telephone: +46 42 38 74 17, mobile: +46 707 455 005.   Email: bjorn.dellgren@adenovir.com

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Pressmeddelande 15 juni 2010, Adenovir Pharma tar in 6,1 miljoner via nyemission

Adenovir Pharma AB tar in 6,1 miljoner kronor via nyemission för att finansiera fortsatt utveckling av ett nytt läkemedel för behandling av smittsamma ögoninfektioner. Dessa infektioner orsakas av virus och drabbar årligen ett stort antal människor. Idag finns inte någon effektiv behandling för dessa ytterst smärtsamma och smittsamma infektioner i ögonen.

Kapitaltillskottet kommer att användas för fortsatt produktutveckling och studier innan det nya läkemedlet kan ges till patienter. De största finansiärerna i emissionen är Augmenta, Länsförsäkringar Skåne, Sparbanksstiftelsen Skånes Riskkapitalstiftelse, Sätila Medtech samt P.U.L.S. 

”Vi är mycket glada över att kunna attrahera kapital till detta spännande svenska projekt. Vi är också väldigt nöjda med det starka stöd det innebär att ha kommit in i P.U.L.S. och samarbetet med forskarna vid Lunds Universitet som har utvecklat den nya läkemedelssubstansen” säger Niklas Arnberg vid Umeå Universitet som är en av innovatörerna.

Epidemisk keratokonjunktivit (EKC) är en allvarlig och smittsam ögoninfektion som orsakas av adenovirus som drabbar både ögats hornhinna och bindhinna och är mycket smärtsam i den akuta fasen. EKC förekommer över hela världen men är mera vanlig i tätbefolkade områden i Asien där sjukdomen betraktas som ett stort hälsoproblem. Enbart i Japan drabbas en miljon människor varje år av EKC. Idag finns inga läkemedel mot EKC och patienter som drabbas får därför ingen behandling alls. Ofta får den smittade och de närmaste i omgivning isoleras under den akuta fasen. Mellan 20 och 50% av de drabbade får synnedsättningar som kan bestå i månader eller flera år. I Asien måste ibland skolor och arbetsplatser stängas under pågående epidemier och samhällskostnaderna i form av förlorad arbetskraft och produktion är hög. I Sverige drabbas ett flertal patienter varje vecka.

Pontus Ottosson, VD på inkubatorn P.U.L.S. där Adenovir Pharma ingår som projektbolag, säger att ”Projektet har utvecklats väl sedan start och när P.U.L.S. nu har fyllt på sin kassa och kan investera direkt i projektbolagen känns det både naturligt och finansiellt riktigt att kunna försvara sin ägarandel.”

Om Adenovir Pharma AB
Adenovir Pharma AB är ett projektbolag inom P.U.L.S. med bas i Helsingborg. Företaget har  en patenterad teknologiplattform som erbjuder produktkoncept och produktutveckling för behandling av ögoninfektioner. Den initiala utvecklingen har skett i nära samarbete med forskare vid Viruslaboratoriet, Umeå Universitet, med professor Göran Wadell, docent Niklas Arnberg och forskare på Institutionen för Organisk Kemi, Lunds Universitet, professor Olov Sterner och professor Ulf Ellervik samt P.U.L.S. Därutöver engageras ett flertal specialiserade företag inom läkemedelsutveckling i projektet.

För ytterligare information om Adenovir Pharma AB, besök  www.adenovir.com eller kontakta
 
Projektledare Björn Dellgren på telefon 042-38 74 28.

Om P.U.L.S.

P.U.L.S. AB (”P.U.L.S.”), Partners för Utvecklingsinvesteringar inom Life Sciences, grundades 2002. P.U.L.S. arbetar som finansiär och inkubator för tidiga projekt inom life science, främst läkemedelsutveckling och har hittills startat sju projektbolag. PULS består av en operativ ledning samt ett tjugotal partners med lång erfarenhet av life science och kompetens genom hela värdekedjan, från FoU till kommersialisering. PULS affärsmodell är att tidigt engagera sig med innovatörerna för att åstadkomma en optimal IP-plattform och ett kvalitetssäkrat projekt. Genom att tillföra kapital, kunskap och kostnadseffektivitet nås det gemensamma målet att maximera, tydliggöra och realisera värdet av produktidéerna genom en framgångsrik avyttring.

För mer information om PULS besök www.pulsinvest.se eller kontakta

VD Pontus Ottosson på telefon 042-38 74 18