Imugene (ASX: IMU) has outlined its strategic new direction as a developer of pharmaceutical products following the recent acquisition of the Linguet™ drug delivery technology.
The company’s focus is on pushing early revenue generating products, rather than a traditional biotech platform technology that focuses on a single opportunity licensing deal far into the future.
Imugene is targeting early 2014 sale of product in Europe, specifically for the treatment of Vitamin D deficiency – a therapeutic area that has seen rapid growth in sales over the past five years, and has become one of the fastest growing nutrients worldwide.
Vitamin D sales in the U.S. have grown from $141.1 million in 2005 to $366.3 million in 2009, with CARG growth expected to be 11.2% in the U.S. between 2009 and 2014.
Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to a wide range of conditions including pre-diabetes (metabolic syndrome), osteoporosis, cardiovascular health, and Alzheimer’s.
A significant association of Vitamin D deficiency with the rate of progress of low-risk prostate cancer is also currently being investigated.
Imugene’s strategy is to target pharmaceutical products that do not need significant clinical investment to gain regulatory approval, ensuring the most cost effective and most rapid path to market.
The Imugene Linguet product uses a specific form of Vitamin D which has been shown to be five times more effective in raising blood serum levels of Vitamin D than the usual colecalciferol form of the vitamin that has been traditionally used as a supplement.
Linguet™ technology
Linguet™ is a tablet placed under the tongue or the buccal cavity in the mouth (cheek) and allowed to dissolve releasing the active drug, which is absorbed immediately into the blood stream via the mucosa of the mouth.
The drug thereby bypasses the gastrointestinal tract and is able to reach its target more rapidly and in the process significantly lower side effects.
A key benefit of the Linguet technology is that it’s an oral delivery form with kinetics almost as fast as an injection.
Potential product pipeline
In addition to Vitamin D, over the next 12 months, a further four specific pharmaceutical product programs are scheduled for development.
The target areas selected are Parkinson’s Disease (dopamine agonist), pain (a specific NSAID), men’s health (erectile dysfunction) and status epilepticus.
Generic pharmaceutical products focusing on Parkinson’s Disease and status epilepticus are planned for release later in 2014, also in Europe initially.
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