Actis Biologics Pvt Ltd, the Mumbai-based biotech research and technology incubator company, has acquired patented technology platform for effective treatment of hepatic cancer, from CellPoint Diagnostics, USA.
This platform technology is based on Ligand Linker Drug Delivery [LLD] system, and can be of tremendous value in reducing the toxicity of chemotherapeutic agents. In this mode of therapy, the attached Ligand directs the chemotherapeutic agent like 5FdU to the target cell, and so the drug is delivered to malignant cells through the hepatic asialoglycoprotein receptors, where it only affects rapidly growing cells, namely cancer cells. This mode of action explains the low toxicity of the drug.
According to an Actis Biologics press release, the new product has already completed pre-clinical studies in the US, and is expected to enter phase I clinical trials in India, the US and Europe..
"The preclinical studies of the technology have convincingly demonstrated that the toxicity of the drug in the liver can be substantially reduced by this platform technology. This was concluded by studies done on mice with hepatic cancer. This is of tremendous importance in tackling such oncological disorders, as the human liver is a sensitive organ to chemotherapy drugs", said PN Venugopalan, president, Actis Biologics.
Currently there are no effective drugs for the treatment of hepatic cancer; hence the commercial potential for the product is outstanding. The technology has already been given the status as an orphan drug by the US FDA.
The approximate number of hepatic and renal cancer in India, is around 18,000 and on a global front this figures are 1,00,000.
In its second move, the company has acquired a patented spacer technology for metered dose inhalers (MDI) from US-based CFD Research Corporation (CFDRC).
"Actis Biologics will soon be seeking approval from the US FDA and expect an approval within a year. The technology will be marketed globally by Cogenesis Biotech, the Malaysia-based subsidiary of the company," said Sanjeev Saxena, chairman ABPL. "Acquisitions like these, leverage our endeavour to spin out more companies/products as a technology innovator company and make them commercially viable. It assists in maintaining the product pipeline of the company strong," said Saxena.
Spacers are bottle like chambers that can be attached to an inhaler enabling the inhalation of the drug through more number of breaths, resulting in maximum delivery of the drug to the lungs.
Actis Biologics has acquired the technology through a combination of equity and royalty for sales by Cogenesis. The present market for spacer technology is estimated to be $100-200 million. The spacer has been developed by a team led by Dr. Shankar Sundaram and Dr. Ashok Singhal of CFDRC.
Cogenesis Biotech Sdn. Bhd., headed by Gyan Sharma, is a subsidiary of Actis Biologics Malaysia and is located in Melaka. Cogenesis Biotech develops technologies to meet the needs of the respiratory therapeutic segment, which has a market size of $15-20 billion.
"This spacer is designed in such a way that it delivers about 40% more drug to the patient than from the leading spacers available in the market. The design also ensures minimal particle deposition on the surface of the spacer, thereby greatly reducing the chances of any future fungal infection," said Sharma.
Actis Biologics, today has a pipeline of eight technology platforms, each having potentials for a number of products under various phases of clinical studies. Most of the molecules are for therapeutic applications in Gene related disorders and diagnostics.