Research & Development
The needs of the patients, customers and medical personnel provide Sanochemia with incentive for new developments. The priorities are innovation and further development, as well as the manufacture of active ingredients and liquid to semi-solid forms of dosage.
The emphasis rests on products that help expand the portfolio and are manufactured in our own production facilities. These improve the value-added chain in the long term.
Fundamental research and the assessment of research concepts are covered by a network of partnerships with academic research institutions and biotech companies.
Specialist knowledge in developmental and regulatory strategies was built up over many years. Sanochemia performs new authorisation procedures in the field of pharmaceutical regulation every year, and maintains global authorisations as well.
Numerous global patents and patent applications protect the company’s research and development ideas.
Radiology
With the generic product portfolio of imaging agents, Sanochemia focuses on the development, manufacture and authorisation of imaging agents as well as on the cost effectiveness of these products. Imaging agents are administered during X-ray or MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) examinations and facilitate a clear and meaningful depiction of the organs. This is often required for deciding on treatment.
Sanochemia strives to expand the product portfolio of imaging agents in the coming years.
Oncology
Vidon® (PVP-hypericin)
Vidon® is a pioneering technology for treating bladder cancer. Vidon® is developed by Sanochemia as both a diagnostic as well as a therapeutic option for patients with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer.
As a patented, photoactive active ingredient, Vidon® is used in the diagnosis of urinary bladder tumours. After administration of the agent to the urinary bladder and selective enrichment in malignant tissue, suspicious tumour areas can be made visible during the cystoscopic inspection with blue light (photodynamic diagnostics, PDD). PDD with Vidon® eases the early detection of very small and flat tumours and their fundamental removal. In clinical studies, Vidon® shows significantly improved tumour detection compared to the gold standard as well as a distinct safety profile.
One new treatment concept for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer is photodynamic therapy (PDT) with PVP-hypericin. PDT is the combination of a physical and chemical mode of action for destroying tumours. The effect is achieved with assistance from red light. PDT with PVP-hypericin in bladder cancer is currently in the pre-clinical development stage. PDT with PVP-hypericin shall replace instillation therapy in the future.
Vidon® was licensed to the Newfield Therapeutics Corporation for further clinical development and commercialisation in America, Canada, Australia and parts of Asia.
Anti-tumour peptides
Anti-tumour peptides that aim to treat malignant melanoma are being investigated as part of a joint research project with the University of Graz.
Neurology
Tolperisone is a muscle relaxant developed to treat acute, painful muscle spasms accompanying back pain, and spasticity accompanying neurological diseases.
Tolperisone has a dual effect with its unique mode of action: it affects both the peripheral neural system as well as the spinal cord and brain stem. This alleviates severe muscle cramps and improves patient mobility. Although tolperisone is centrally effective, it has only minor potential for sedation.
Tolperisone was licensed to Neurana Pharmaceuticals and is currently undergoing clinical development. SANOCHEMIA's partner Neurana Pharmaceuticals successfully completed the Phase 2 clinical trial in 2019 and plans to commence the Phase 3 clinical trial with tolperisone in 2020.
Research projects
Automated pH Value Controlled Production Process
The project aims to revolutionise a production process for the manufacture of innovative imaging agents, which has been granted a patent by the Austrian Patent Office, by means of a process innovation and to develop it to qualified readiness for use by means of an experimental procedure. In the future, the entire production control should be automated and digitally controllable via a single value thus enabling simplified and automatable process monitoring.
This project is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund.
For more information see: www.efre.gv.at
Cooperations & Partners
From fundamental research to clinical development, Sanochemia's research and development projects benefit from active interaction with partners. The internal competencies are supplemented by experts in scientific and medical fields.
Licensing partners
Neurana Pharmaceuticals
Exklusive Lizenzvereinbarung für die Entwicklung und Vermarktung von Tolperison in den USA.
www.neuranapharma.com
Cooperating partners
University of Graz
Research cooperation on the effect of anti-tumour peptides on malignant melanoma.
Kontakt: partnering(at)sanochemia.at