Sweden's Pergamum, which is majority-owned by Karolinska Development, has linked up with India's Cadila Pharmaceuticals to develop an anti-infective with "a unique targeting mechanism clearly distinguished from classical antibiotics".
The two companies will collaborate on a novel therapeutic peptide that has been developed by Pergamum and further research will be conducted at Cadila's facilities in Ahmedabad. The latter will be responsible for all costs up to Phase II and global rights will be shared between the companies; no financial details were disclosed.
Pergamum's chief executive Jonas Ekblom claimed that the firm has developed a new class of short synthetic peptides with both anti-infective and anti-inflammatory properties derived from the body’s own defence system. He added that "there is a rapidly-increasing global prevalence of antibiotics resistance that limits the therapeutic value of conventional products, and we think that we can meet this need with this novel therapeutic peptide".
Torbjorn Bjerke, chief executive of the Karolinska Development arm, (which has a portfolio consisting of 34 projects, of which 15 are in clinical development), said "this is a phenomenal opportunity for Pergamum to work with one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in India, a key emerging market".
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