BioCis Pharma and Oy Lx Therapies become Laurantis
New specialist pharmaceutical company will target treatments for inflammatory diseases and cancers
Finland-based BioCis Pharma and Oy Lx Therapies have combined to create Laurantis Pharma, a developer of clinical-stage specialist pharmaceuticals.
The new company will have a broad portfolio of products based on two proprietary technologies. The lead products target a variety of inflammatory diseases and conditions including atopic dermatitis, dry eye syndrome, interstitial cystitis, and lymphatic disorders, as well as bladder cancer.
Riku Rautsola has joined Laurantis Pharma as president and ceo. He has more than 25 years of international biopharmaceutical experience, most recently as president and ceo of VIRxSYS Corporation in the US. Prior to this, Dr Rautsola held various senior executive positions at Boehringer Ingelheim, Beiersdorf and Fresenius and served on the board of directors of the Finnish drug development company Biotie Therapies.
‘Laurantis Pharma is well positioned to reach several significant clinical milestones for its lead products in the next two to three years,’ he said.
‘We are excited about the potential created by forming this new company. We have a broad portfolio, cost-efficient operation model, and several upcoming clinical milestones in the next couple of years,’ he added.
Laurantis Pharma’s pipeline includes proprietary and patent-protected formulations and applications of cis-urocanicacid (cis-UCA), a locally acting anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative agent. Clinical candidates include an emulsion cream for atopic dermatitis (human and veterinary use), an intravesical product for the treatment of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer and inflammatory conditions of the bladder such as interstitialcystitis, and an eye drop product for dry eye syndrome. The company is also developing Lymfactin, a vascular endothelial growth factor C (VEGF-C) in an adenoviral vector, for the treatment of secondary lymphedema.
