PharmaTelevision - Neuropharma: A New Wave of Drugs to Treat Alzheimer’s Disease

PharmaTelevision requires Javascript enabled and Adobe Flash Player to watch our programmes. If you do not have Flash installed, you can download it for free from the Adobe Flash homepage.

Improve your Internet experience and start watching exciting new video content.

Video title: Neuropharma: A New Wave of Drugs to Treat Alzheimer’s Disease

Visitors: You are watching a 30 seconds preview.

Get more information and subscribe now

RSS

Twitter

In This Episode:

Summary
Transcript
Participants
Company

In this interview, Fintan Walton speaks with Belén Sopesén, Managing Director of Neuropharma, a subsidiary of the Zeltia group specialising in research and development of innovative drugs for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders, particularly Alzheimer's disease. Neuropharma has exclusive rights to use the huge library of marine organisms created by sister company Pharmamar, for exploration and exploitation in the field of neurological diseases. Currently, the company has completed Phase I clinical trials on its lead compound, code named NP-12, a new mechanism of action that may slow the neurodegenerative process by inhibiting the GSK-3 enzyme involved in the excessive phosphorilation of the tau protein and in the deposit of neurofibrillary tangles. Phase II clinical trials on NP-12 are set to begin before the end of 2008. With long term plans to develop into a pharmaceutical company, Neuropharma is currently seeking partners for licensing their compound in North America and may also be looking towards an IPO offering in 2009.

Full video transcripts are available with PharmaTelevision Premium Content. Click here to buy a subscription or sign up for a 14 day free trial.

Origins of Neuropharma.

Fintan Walton:

Hello and welcome to PharmaVentures Business Review here in Madrid. On this show I have Belen Sopesen, who is the Managing Director of Neuropharma here based in Madrid. Welcome to the show.

Belen Sopesen:

Thank you very much. Thank you very much for your invitation.

Fintan Walton:

Neuropharma, and you head up Neuropharma is a company that's obviously based here in Spain. It's one of the few biotechnology companies. By your name you are specialized in the neurosciences, could you describe to us about the origins of Neuropharma how it started?

Belen Sopesen:

Yeah the company was started in 2000. It's like a spin off not really but more or less we started with a licensing of a compound from the Spanish Research Council. So the company was started because there was a compound that shows to be active in neurodegeneration, so at that time it was enough information to set up the company and this is why we are here today.

Fintan Walton:

Yeah. And you're also part of the Zeltia Group which most people will be aware off, but they're probably more aware of Pharmamar which is one of the oldest biotechnology companies here in the Spain?

Full video transcripts are available with PharmaTelevision Premium Content. Click here to buy a subscription or sign up for a 14 day free trial.

Belen Sopesen

Managing Director

Belen Sopesen began her scientific training with SKBP (UK) as an EU scholarship student working in the development of experimental models related to neurological processes (1993) and earned a doctorate in Pharmacy from Complutense University, Madrid, in 1998. After 1997, she focused her career on clinical research with the Spanish CRO, Cibest (currently the SGS Group). In 2001, as Managing and Technical Director, she and other partners created Qualysite Consultancy Limited, a company specializing in training, auditing, and the implementation of systems for quality management for the health sector, pharmaceutical laboratories, CROs, and clinics in both the public and private sector. In April 2005, she joined the Neuropharma team as Director of Quality Assurance and in June 2006 was appointed Managing Director of the company.

Neuropharma

Neuropharma, located in Madrid, Spain, is a Bio-pharmaceutical company owned by the Zeltia Group, which focuses on, and is dedicated to, Research and Development into innovative drugs for the treatment and prevention of diseases of the nervous system. Neuropharma was set up with the idea of exploiting the potential diversity of active molecules from biological systems provided by nature, specifically the sea, in the field of nervous system pathology. It has exclusive rights to the organisms created by Pharmamar (another Zeltia Group) which leads the field in the development of drugs of marine origin. Neuropharma currently focuses on Alzheimer's disease by developing approaches which are able to slow down or stop the neurodegenerative process. The internal research carried out by the company, which focuses on Alzheimer's disease, is complemented by external projects with academic centres. These projects are designed to promote and acquire new knowledge about the molecular basis of the pathologies of the nervous system and to benefit from future transfers of such scientific technology which will enable the company to strengthen their research into these diseases.