Gotimmune AB and Cadila Pharmaceuticals Ltd announce strategic collaboration

Swedish biopharmaceutical firm, Gotimmune AB and Cadila Pharmaceuticals Ltd, one of the largest privately held pharmaceuticals companies based out of Ahmedabad, India, announced today, a strategic collaboration to develop a novel treatment for Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), a stomach disorder that affects a sizeable population around the world.

Gotimmune AB and Cadila Pharmaceuticals will collaborate on the preclinical and clinical development of a novel therapeutic target, developed by researchers at the University of Gothenburg and will be commercialized by the two companies.

On the occasion, Dr. Rajiv Modi, Chairman and Managing Director, Cadila Pharmaceuticals, said:

"Cadila Pharmaceuticals’ foundation is built on research and innovation, and over the years, it has given many first-in-the-world products to the world. This partnership with Gotimmune brings together our advanced product development and pre-clinical capabilities with Gotimmune’s expertise in the field. This addresses an important unmet medical need and demonstrates our commitment towards developing innovative, yet affordable treatments for those who need it the most.”

H. pylori is a bacterium that can be found in the stomach of half the world’s population and is childhood acquired. Chronic infection in a sub-population of infected individuals is linked to the development of peptic ulcers and stomach cancer. The infection can be treated with antibiotics but patients often fail to respond to the conventional treatment, leading to rising antibiotic resistance, persistence of the infection and symptoms. In Asia where 80% of the population carries the infection, there is a significant need for new safe and effective products that can be used as an alternative to antibiotics to treat H. pylori infection.

"The researchers at the University of Gothenburg have developed a concept that is based on boosting the body’s own immune system against the bacteria, which looks very promising”, says Klementina Österberg, CEO of GU Holding and newly elected Chair of the board of directors of Gotimmune. “So therefore, we have helped the researchers to set up a commercial development within Gotimmune AB and to set up the collaboration with Cadila Pharmaceuticals, to be able to commercialize the concept.”

The research has been ongoing for many years now and will continue during the period of the collaboration within the University of Gothenburg. The pre-clinical development will be conducted by Gotimmune in collaboration with both the University and Cadila.

"We are delighted to have this important collaboration with Cadila Pharmaceuticals. For a long time, our main goal has been to try and find a functional treatment for this disease and to partner up with professional industry players”, commented Dr. Jan Holmgren at the University of Gothenburg. He is also the creator of the Dukoral vaccine.

Both parties are aiming to develop a treatment that is predicted to protect, not only from the existing infection but also reinfections, which are estimated to be as high as 15-20% of the individuals treated with antibiotics per year in Asia. The treatment aims to reduce the repetitive use of antibiotics for treating the infection. Considering the high incidence of H. pylori infections in India and Asia the treatment will have a major impact from a public health care perspective, reducing the incidence of both peptic ulcers and gastric cancer.

“We have promising results showing that our treatment leads a strong immune response against the bacteria and consequently an effective reduction in the number of bacteria in a mouse model of H. pylori infection. We are currently trying to understand the mechanisms how the treatment works and how to improve it even further,” says Associate Professor Sukanya Raghavan at the University of Gothenburg. She has been recently awarded a grant for the collaborative project from the Swedish Research Council (SW: Vetenskapsrådet, VR). ”This association with Cadila Pharmaceuticals will enhance the focused research”, she added.

Subsequently, the product development will be conducted at the facilities of Cadila Pharmaceuticals Ltd in Ahmedabad, India. Cadila Pharmaceuticals will be responsible for further development as well as marketing and sales of the product and global rights will be shared between the companies. The University of Gothenburg is of course also entitled to conduct its research and education within the field.

“This is a phenomenal opportunity for us to work with Cadila Pharmaceuticals, one of the largest privately held pharmaceutical companies in India, and a key contributor to the emerging pharmaceuticals market. The strategic value can be substantial for both parties.” continues Dr Nils Lycke at the University of Gothenburg. He is also the founder of the startup companies MIVAC Development AB and Toleranzia AB, as well as the inventor of a novel adjuvant product.

For further information, please contact:

Klementina Österberg, CEO of GU Holding AB and Chairman of the board at Gotimmune AB
Phone: +46 (0)70 4401190, e-mail: klementina@holding.gu.se

Neelam Kanwar, Head - Corporate Communications and CSR, Cadila Pharmaceuticals Limited.
Phone: +91-2718-225001-15 Ext: 1423 or +91 9099099624 neelam.kanwar@cadilapharma.co.in

About Gotimmune AB
Gotimmune is a biopharmaceutical company specialized in the development of therapeutic products for the treatment of Helicobacter pylori. The company’s vision is to develop a portfolio of unique products with high medical value that ultimately, through global partnerships, will result in successful cures. Gotimmune was founded by GU Holding, Dr Jan Holmgren and Dr Nils Lycke, professors and their colleagues at the research center MIVAC at Sahlgrenska Academy within the University of Gothenburg. Gotimmune is now a part of the GU Holding portfolio and incubator, which develops new research-based companies.