Debiopharm

Debiopharm

Company type	Société Anonyme
Industry	Biopharmaceutical
Founded	Lausanne, Switzerland (1979)
Founder	Dr Rolland-Yves Mauvernay (1922-2017)
Headquarters	Lausanne, Switzerland
Area served	Worldwide
Key people	Thierry Mauvernay (President) Bertrand Ducrey (CEO Debiopharm International SA) Cédric Sager (CEO Debiopharm Research & Manufacturing SA) Marc Cikes (Managing Director Debiopharm Innovation Fund SA)
Products	Triptorelin Oxaliplatin
Owner	Privately-held
Website	www.debiopharm.com

Debiopharm is a privately-held Swiss biopharmaceutical company mainly active in development and clinical testing of drug candidates. ^[1] It was founded in 1979 by Rolland-Yves Mauvernay. The company now has 2 sites in Lausanne and in Martigny, Switzerland with new building expansion projects in both locations. ^{[2] [3]}

History

Rolland-Yves Mauvernay founded Debiopharm in 1979 in Martigny, Switzerland. ^[4] In 1981, the Cytotech laboratory was created and after a few years it became Debio Recherche Pharmaceutique (R.P.), then Debiopharm Research & Manufacturing. ^{[5] [6]} Initially, the company worked on interferon and, in 1982, it began to focus on triptorelin, after having acquired the rights for its development from Tulane University. ^[7] Triptorelin is a Gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRH agonist) that has been approved for several indications, including advanced prostate cancer and endometriosis. ^{[8] [9]} The first marketing authorization for this medication was obtained in France in 1986. ^[10]

In 1989, Debiopharm acquired the license for oxaliplatin, a diaminocyclohexane (DACH) platin, from Nagoya City University. The drug was first approved in Europe in 1996 and became a standard treatment in metastatic colorectal cancer. ^[11] Since launch, triptorelin and oxaliplatin have generated several billion dollars in revenue for the company. ^[12]

Since 2004, after having occupied different premises in Lausanne, Debiopharm moved its headquarters to a new building: what became "Après-demain Forum" had been initially designed by architect Jean Tschumi as the headquarters commodity trading giant Andre and is a cultural property of national significance. ^[13]

In 2005, Debiopharm acquired the Canadian company H3 Pharma, rebranded Debiovision, to support the development and worldwide registration of its medicines. ^[14]

The company's business model relies on establishing partnerships and research agreements with other companies or universities to develop new molecules and run clinical trials before licensing them in case of success. It partnered for instance in 2009 with US-based MSM Protein Technologies to work on a new oncology treatment, ^[15] in 2011 with Yale University as part of an agreement to develop and commercialise medicine for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, ^[16] in 2014 with German company Evotec to identify and develop compounds to treat a variety of cancers, ^[17] or with Canadian company Nobelex Biotech (also in 2014) to develop antibiotics targeting Neisseria gonorrhoeae and enteric species. ^[18]

In March 2021, Merck KGaA announced the acquisition of Debiopharm's xevinapant program in head and neck cancer for 900 million euros ^[19] , then dropped the project in 2024 ^[20] .

In September 2024, ITM Isotope Technologies Munich announced the exclusive global license for the clinical and commercial development of Debioharm’s radiopharmaceutical peptide-based, theranostic pair ITM-91/ITM-94D (Debio 0328/0228) ^[21] .

Structure and subsidiaries

Debiopharm is the Life Science division of the holding company Après-demain (litt. "The Day after Tomorrow") with three subsidiaries active in drug development (Debiopharm International), drug manufacturing (Debiopharm Research & Manufacturing) and investment (Debiopharm Innovation Fund): ^{[22] [23]}

• Debiopharm International in-licenses product candidates or technologies, develops them into medicines, and then licenses them to third parties for commercialization. ^[24] This subsidiary is mainly focused on the development of medicines in the fields of oncology and infectious diseases, from preclinical development to full approval of new treatments.^{[ citation needed ]}

• Debiopharm Research & Manufacturing (formerly known as Debio R.P.), ^[5] based in Martigny, Switzerland, is a pharmaceutical research, development and production company. ^[6] The Swissmedic-certified production site was renovated and expanded in 2015. ^[25] Debiopharm Research & Manufacturing provides contract manufacturing and contract research services to Debiopharm. ^[12]

• Debiopharm Innovation Fund provides venture capital for Digital Health companies. ^[26] The Fund notably invested in Carevive (US-based oncology-focused technology company) in 2020, ^[27] VivoSense (medical technology) in 2022 ^[28] and Iktos (artificial intelligence applied to new drug discoveries) in 2023. ^[29] It also successfully exited Finnish oncology startup Kaiku Health, which was bought in 2020 by Swedish giant Elekta. ^[30]

Until 2020, the subsidiary Debiopharm Investment SA managed the group's asset management activities. ^[31] This subsidiary was merged and its former activities are now directly taken over by the holding company Après-demain SA. ^[32]

Products

Debiopharm is known for the development of triptorelin and oxaliplatin, two drugs that became standards of care for the treatment of various types of cancer and are listed on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines. ^{[33] [34]}

Currently marketed

• Triptorelin is a gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRH agonist) approved for several indications, including prostate cancer and endometriosis, under the names Decapeptyl, Neo Decapeptyl, Trelstar and Pamorelin. ^{[8] [9]} This molecule is also marketed in several European countries as Salvacyl and Moapar as a three-month treatment for sexual deviance. ^[35]

• Oxaliplatin is a diaminocyclohexane (DACH)-platinum ^[36] which has become a standard treatment for colorectal cancers, as well as gastric and liver cancers under the names Eloxatin (marketed by Sanofi), Elplat, Dacotin or Dacplat. ^{[11] [36]}

Under development

Early-stage treatments being developed by Debiopharm are referred to by code names such as "Debio [+4 digit number]". ^[37] In 2020, Debiopharm signed a global license and research agreement with German biotech 3B Pharmaceuticals (3BP) to work on "Debio 0228", a treatment targeting the CAIX (Carbonic anhydrase 9) enzyme to fight the progression of cancer. ^[38] As part of their partnership-focused business model, in 2024, Debio 0228 was out-licensed to ITM Isotope Technologies Munich.

Other drug candidates under development include:

• Xevinapant is a potent, orally available inhibitor of apoptosis proteins. ^[39] xevinapant has proven to be efficient in high-risk patients with locally advanced squamous-cell carcinoma of the head and neck (LASCCHN). In March 2021, an exclusive license agreement has been granted to Merck KGaA for 900 million euros for further development and commercialisation of xevinapant. ^[40] . Merck dropped the project in 2024. ^[41]

• Afabicin is an enoyl-acyl carrier protein reductase inhibitor and an antistaphylococcal antibiotic, to address acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections. ^[42]
• Debio 0123, a WEE1 inhibitor for the treatment of glioblastoma. ^[43]
• Debio 1562M, a second-generation ADC directed against CD37 and including Multilink cleavable linker-payload technology in pre-clinical research for the treatment of some blood cancers including Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) and Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) ^[44]
• Debio 4126, a sustained-release formulation of somatostatin analogue​ (SSA) therapy for the treatment of acromegaly ^[45]
• Debio 4326 a gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist therapy for central precocious puberty ^[46]

References

1. "Debiopharm Group". Bloomberg. Retrieved 2016-05-12.
2. "Debiopharm lays the foundation stone for its new building". BioAlps. 2024-09-12. Retrieved 2025-02-20.
3. "Debiopharm invests CHF 30M in Valais amidst workforce surge". Greater Geneva Bern area. 2023-10-26. Retrieved 2025-02-20.
4. "Debiopharm investit. "J'ai fondé cette entreprise à Martigny", se souvient Rolland-Yves Mauvernay". Canal9 (in French). 2015-09-17.
5. "Nous voulons acquérir une nouvelle société". Le Temps (in French). 2014-01-20.
6. "Debiopharm Research & Manufacturing". The Ark. 2016-05-15.
7. "Spezialist für Entwicklung von Krebsmedikamenten – Klein und unbekannt, aber hochprofitabel Ein Generalunternehmer für die Pharmaindustrie". Finanz und Wirtschaft (in German). 2002-04-03.
8. Guillaume Ploussard; Pierre Mongiat-Artus (2013). "Triptorelin in the management of prostate cancer". Future Oncology (London, England). 9 (1): 93–102. doi:10.2217/fon.12.158. PMID   23252566.
9. Zhu, L.; Guan, Z.; Huang, Y.; Hua, K.; Ma, L.; Zhang, J.; Yang, D.; Perrot, V.; Li, H.; Zhang, X. (2022-02-04). "The efficacy and safety of triptorelin-therapy following conservative surgery for deep infiltrating endometriosis". Medicine. 101 (5): e28766. doi:10.1097/MD.0000000000028766. PMC   8812645 . PMID   35119037.
10. Christian Hilscher (2017-03-23). "Triptorelin". ArzneiNews (in German).
11. "Oxaliplatin - NCI". www.cancer.gov. 2006-10-05. Retrieved 2023-02-13.
12. Bernard Tappy (2013). "Debiopharm Research and Manufacturing SA". In Vivo Magazine.
13. Jean-Claude Péclet (2004-10-20). "L'ancien siège d'André à Lausanne reprend vie grâce au succès de Debiopharm". Le Temps .
14. "Debiovision integrates into the Debio Group". Manufactiring Chemist. 2005-09-16.
15. "Debiopharm and MSM Protein Technologies sign oncology research agreement". Manufacturing Chemist. 2009-07-30.
16. "Debiopharm and Yale University sign worldwide agreement". Manufacturing Chemist. 2011-05-04.
17. "Evotec and Debiopharm to collaborate on development of new cancer treatment". Manufacturing Chemist. 2014-04-02.
18. "Debiopharm and Nobelex Biotech to develop antibiotics against N. Gonorrhoeae and enteric species". Manufacturing Chemist. 2014-07-01.
19. "Merck agrees $1 billion deal with Debiopharm for head and neck cancer drug". Reuters. 2021-03-01. Retrieved 2023-02-13.
20. "Thierry Mauvernay, le bien du patient comme boussole". pme (in Swiss French). Retrieved 2025-02-20.
21. "Debiopharm, ITM ink up to €300M licensing deal for cancer treatment". Endpoints News. Retrieved 2025-02-20.
22. "Après-demain SA". Business Monitor.
23. "Debiopharm continues fight against antibiotic resistance". Manufacturing Chemist. 2018-02-15.
24. "Debiopharm International". Bloomberg. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
25. "Modernisé, Debiopharm va prendre de l'ampleur". Le Nouvelliste (in French). 2015-09-22.
26. "Enabling healthcare's digital future". Pharmaphorum Magazine. 2021.
27. "Carevive Systems Raises Series C Financing". Finsmes. 2020-02-14.
28. "VivoSense Exits Stealth Mode with a Big Series A Round". MDDI Online. 2022-03-30.
29. "Iktos raises € 15.5m Series A round to expand its artificial intelligence-based drug discovery technologies and solutions". Yahoo Finance. 2023-03-09.
30. "Cancer-focused Elekta snaps up digital oncology startup Kaiku Health". MobiHealthNews. 2020-05-20. Retrieved 2023-05-24.
31. "Debiopharm Investment SA". Money House.
32. "Biotechnologies et finances: Quand le «capital management» soutient le développement de médicaments". 24 heures (in French). 2024-09-23. Retrieved 2025-02-20.
33. World Health Organization (2021). World Health Organization model list of essential medicines: 22nd list (2021). Geneva: World Health Organization. hdl: 10665/345533 . WHO/MHP/HPS/EML/2021.02.
34. World Health Organization (2021). World Health Organization model list of essential medicines: 22nd list (2021). Geneva: World Health Organization. hdl: 10665/345533 . WHO/MHP/HPS/EML/2021.02.
35. Katie McQue (2009-06-26). "DebioPharm's Salvacyl launched in EU for sexual deviancy". Pharma Intelligence.
36. "Debiopharm extends its Eloxatin collaboration with Sanofi-Synthelabo". Pharma Biz. 2002-08-28.
37. "Debiopharm and Nobelex Biotech to develop antibiotics against N. Gonorrhoeae and enteric species". Manufactiring Chemist. 2014-07-01.
38. "Debiopharm and 3BP enter into global R&D deal for radioligand tech". The Pharma Letter. 2020-03-25.
39. "Xevinapant or placebo plus chemoradiotherapy in locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck". 2022-02-17. doi: 10.2217/fon-2021-1634 . PMID   35172587.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
40. "Merck agrees $1 billion deal with Debiopharm for head and neck cancer drug". Reuters. 2021-03-01. Retrieved 2023-02-13.
41. "Merck KGaA drops xevinapant with ph. 3 trial headed for failure". www.fiercebiotech.com. 2024-06-25. Retrieved 2025-02-20.
42. Wittke, F.; Vincent, C.; Chen, J.; Heller, B.; Kabler, H.; Overcash, J. S.; Leylavergne, F.; Dieppois, G. (2020-09-21). "Afabicin, a First-in-Class Antistaphylococcal Antibiotic, in the Treatment of Acute Bacterial Skin and Skin Structure Infections: Clinical Noninferiority to Vancomycin/Linezolid". Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. 64 (10): e00250-20. doi:10.1128/AAC.00250-20. PMC   7508579 . PMID   32747361.
43. Hofland, Peter (2020-03-06). "Debio 0123, a Potent WEE1 Inhibitor, to be Assessed in First-in-human, Dose-escalation Study". Onco'Zine. Retrieved 2023-08-29.
44. "ADCs: Leading With The Linker". www.bioprocessonline.com. Retrieved 2025-02-20.
45. A Phase 1b Study in Patients With Acromegaly or Functioning Gastroenteropancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors (GEP-NETs) to Characterize the Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacodynamics, Safety and Tolerability of Debio 4126, a 12-week Prolonged-release Octreotide Formulation (Report). clinicaltrials.gov. 2025-02-10.
46. "Debio-4326 by Debiopharm International for Central Precocious Puberty: Likelihood of Approval". Pharmaceutical Technology. 2023-12-21. Retrieved 2025-02-20.

External links

• Official website

46°30′54″N6°38′28″E / 46.51500°N 6.64111°E / 46.51500; 6.64111