Conference Reports
5th Rodman & Renshaw Global Healthcare Conference
Monte Carlo, May 19-20th 2008
The Annual European Rodman & Renshaw Healthcare conference once again took place in the idyllic surroundings of Monte Carlo, against a backdrop of the Monaco Grand Prix preparations and the drama of the Cannes film festival nearby. In a city swarming with the rich and powerful where for many the primary mode of transport is emblazoned with the leaping horse of the Ferrari logo, the conference could hardly fail to impress. It kicked off in style with a cocktail event on an ocean-view veranda, where the mood was set for an event filled with discussions about the climate of the industry and a significant amount of deal-making. The main entertainment event held the next evening played host to a spectacular and energetic set by Mary J Blige, followed by a latenight fireworks display to ensure the conference truly made its mark in Monaco.
During the meeting there
were presentations by a
wide variety of companies,
opening up discussions with
investors and big pharma
firms for licensing deals,
collaborations and, of
course, investments. Sepal
Pharma, a drug discovery
company developing plant
stress hormones sourced
from Jasmine, was amongst
those presenting. Its jasmonate
derivatives have been found to have unexpected anticancer
properties, due to their ability to bind a mitochondrial
target in tumour cells. Laboratory findings demonstrated their
potential to destroy cancer cells while leaving normal cells
unscathed, thereby possibly avoiding hepatic cellular damage
associated with major anticancer drugs such as paclitaxel. The
exciting preclinical results for these potential first-in-class
drugs will have to wait to be verified in human trials, which
are expected in 2010.
Another small pharmaceutical company entering a major therapeutic field was Rib-X Pharmaceuticals. This private company is researching novel antibiotics aimed at overcoming multidrug resistance. So far Rib-X has successfully generated 2 Phase II clinical programmes, one for a broad-spectrum quinolone and the other for an extended spectrum oxazolidinone, with impressive cure rates against difficult pathogens such as MRSA, and a pipeline of further compounds waiting in the wings.
A larger company, BioLineRx, openly discussed the company policy for constantly reprioritising the pipeline according to each candidate's likelihood of success, and not being afraid to dump projects, and do so frequently, irrespective of the stage reached, if they fail to meet expectations. The therapeutic focus is also kept intentionally wide, as its sole aim is to develop the strongest possible pipeline of potential drugs. Demonstrating the variety within its pipeline, data was presented for two very different leading candidates. The first, BL-1020, is a Phase II GABA-enhanced antipsychotic NCE, which has demonstrated good safety, passage across the blood-brain barrier and significant improvements in schizophrenia symptoms. It also improved cognition in preclinical studies. The second candidate is BL-1940, a liquid myocardial implant that turns into a gel in situ, providing a temporary scaffold following a heart attack to prevent remodelling of cardiac tissue.
Medgenics gave an interesting presentation of its unique therapeutic approach. This consists of treating chronic diseases using its 'bio-pump' platform technology, consisting of an epidermal sample transformed by an adenoviral vector to introduce a gene for a therapeutic protein into the patients' own cells. This can be implanted back into the patient to allow 4-6 months of constant protein release. The company presented Phase I trial results for EPODURE in anaemia patients, demonstrating safety and protein delivery. A hepatitis-C therapy, Infradure, releasing interferon-a, is also in development.
Another company with an unusual therapeutic approach is Neotropix, a small private company that identifies oncolytic animal viruses, rather than human viruses, therefore avoiding inherent safety risks and using natural targeting, bypassing the need for genetic engineering. Neotropix is focused on niche disease areas with no or few therapies available as yet. The lead candidate, NTX-010, is in Phase I/II trials in carcinoid, small cell and neuroendocrine cancers. It has produced some solid efficacy data so far with >50% of patients treated showing a clinical response. A path to potential-SPA registration trials for NTX-010 is already mapped out. Neotropix also reported on its earlier-stage preclinical candidates, NTX-400 and NTX-100.
Overall a wide variety of companies appeared at the conference, highlighting some of the remarkable and innovative developments in the pharmaceutical industry today. The sociable, friendly atmosphere and brisk pace of presentations meant a huge amount and variety of information was shared, with many contacts and potential agreements made. Time will tell how many of these come to fruition, but based on the happy faces at the end of the conference, we can expect great things from the industry in the future.
Alix Biancardi
Pharmaprojects Analyst
Pharmaprojects - Pharmaceutical Conferences & Industry Meetings
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