LEIDEN, Netherlands, Nov 08, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) –
Prosensa, the Dutch biopharmaceutical company focusing on rare diseases
with a high unmet medical need, has won EuropaBio’s Most Innovative
European Biotech SME Award 2011, presented at a ceremony in Brussels
earlier today. The award comes with prize money of EUR10,000 and two
years’ membership of EuropaBio.
The EuropaBio Award recognises Prosensa’s pioneering role in helping
patients and their families affected by rare, progressively debilitating
diseases. Prosensa’s lead product, PRO051 (GSK2402968), is currently in
Phase III trials in collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), for the
treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). This is a rare, genetic,
childhood disease that afflicts approximately 1 in 3,500 newborn boys.
As early as the age of 2, boys begin to show signs of muscle weakness,
they are often wheelchair bound before the age of 12 and few become
older than 30 years. There is currently no available therapy for DMD.
Prosensa’s technological approach, RNA modulation through ‘exon
skipping’, applies some of the most advanced techniques known in modern
genetics and molecular biology.
“Over the last three years Prosensa has more than tripled its workforce,
to 80 people, all of whom share one mission: to find a treatment for
Duchenne muscular dystrophy,” said Hans Schikan, CEO of Prosensa. “We
are very proud to receive this award, which is a recognition for all
employees of Prosensa and our many partners, without whom we would not
have come to this stage.”
Integral to Prosensa’s business model are the close collaborations with
its academic partners, with GSK, as well as the many DMD patient
organizations that are active in raising both awareness of the disease
and funds for research and development.
The selection process for the award was judged by G. Steven Burrill,
Founder and CEO of Burrill Company, Tom Saylor, CEO of Arecor and
Chairman of EuropaBio’s SME Platform, Paul Ruebig, MEP and Chair of the
SME Union and Nathalie Moll, Secretary General of EuropaBio.
–ENDS–
NOTES TO EDITORS
About Prosensa
Prosensa is an innovative Dutch biopharmaceutical company focused on the
discovery, development and commercialization of RNA modulating
therapeutics correcting gene expression in rare diseases with a high
unmet medical need. Prosensa’s focus is on developing a treatment for
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Prosensa’s technology is based on a
collaboration with Leiden University Medical Center. In 2009 Prosensa
entered into a strategic alliance for part of its DMD exon skipping
program with GlaxoSmithKline. Prosensa’s lead compound
(PRO051/GSK2402968), being developed by GSK, entered phase III clinical
trials in January 2011. Prosensa is a privately held biopharmaceutical
company, backed by a consortium of Abingworth, GIMV, Idinvest, LSP and
MedSciences Capital. For more information about Prosensa, please visit
www.prosensa.com
About DMD
Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is a severely debilitating childhood
neuromuscular disease that affects 1 in 3,500 live male births. This
rare disease is caused by mutations in the dystrophin gene, resulting in
the absence or defect of the dystrophin protein. Patients suffer from
progressive loss of muscle strength due to the absence or defect of the
dystrophin protein, often making them wheelchair bound before the age of
12. Respiratory and cardiac muscle can also be affected by the disease
and most patients die in early adulthood due to respiratory and cardiac
failure.
About the EuropaBio SME Award
EuropaBio’s Most Innovative Biotech SME Award aims to reward European
Biotech SMEs that have developed an innovative solution to technical,
social and environmental problems. The aim of the prize is to promote
and support outstanding and innovative ideas of biotechnology in small
and medium enterprises across European countries. A panel of highly
respected and independent luminaries produces a shortlist of nominees
and chooses the winner.
SOURCE: Prosensa
Prosensa
Luc Dochez, +31 71 332 2085
or
Hans Schikan, +31 71 332 2076
or
Media enquiries
College Hill Life Sciences
Nicole Yost / Anastasios Koutsos
+44 20 7457 2020
prosensa@collegehill.com
Copyright Business Wire 2011
Article source: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/prosensa-named-most-innovative-european-biotech-sme-2011-11-08
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