Biotie Therapies was a

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

biotechnology Biotechnology is the integration of natural sciences and engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms, cells, parts thereof and molecular analogues for products and services. The term ''biotechnology'' was first used b ...

and

pharmaceutics Pharmaceutics is the discipline of pharmacy that deals with the process of turning a new chemical entity (NCE) or old drugs into a medication to be used safely and effectively by patients. It is also called the science of dosage form design. The ...

company that was acquired by

Acorda Therapeutics Acorda Therapeutics, Inc. is an American biotechnology company based in Pearl River, New York. The company develops therapies that improve neurological function in people with Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis and other neurological disorder ...

in January 2016. The company's research and development was focused on drugs for neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders like

Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegeneration, neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in short-term me ...

and other

cognitive disorders Cognitive disorders (CDs), also known as neurocognitive disorders (NCDs), are a category of mental health disorders that primarily affect cognitive abilities including learning, memory, perception, and problem solving. Neurocognitive disorders in ...

alcohol Alcohol most commonly refers to: * Alcohol (chemistry), an organic compound in which a hydroxyl group is bound to a carbon atom * Alcohol (drug), an intoxicant found in alcoholic drinks Alcohol may also refer to: Chemicals * Ethanol, one of sev ...

and

drug dependence Substance dependence, also known as drug dependence, is a biopsychological situation whereby an individual's functionality is dependent on the necessitated re-consumption of a psychoactive substance because of an adaptive state that has develope ...

and

post traumatic stress disorder Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental and behavioral disorder that can develop because of exposure to a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, child abuse, domestic violence, or other threats on a ...

, and inflammatory and

fibrotic Fibrosis, also known as fibrotic scarring, is a pathological wound healing in which connective tissue replaces normal parenchymal tissue to the extent that it goes unchecked, leading to considerable tissue remodelling and the formation of perma ...

liver disease Liver disease, or hepatic disease, is any of many diseases of the liver. If long-lasting it is termed chronic liver disease. Although the diseases differ in detail, liver diseases often have features in common. Signs and symptoms Some of the sig ...

. The company's headquarters is in

Turku Turku ( ; ; sv, Åbo, ) is a city and former capital on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River, in the region of Finland Proper (''Varsinais-Suomi'') and the former Turku and Pori Province (''Turun ja Porin lääni''; ...

Western Finland Western Finland ( fi, Länsi-Suomen lääni, sv, Västra Finlands län) was a province of Finland from 1997 to 2009. It bordered the provinces of Oulu, Eastern Finland and Southern Finland. It also bordered the Gulf of Bothnia towards Åland. ...

, and it is listed on

NASDAQ OMX Nasdaq, Inc. is an American multinational financial services corporation that owns and operates three stock exchanges in the United States: the namesake Nasdaq stock exchange, the Philadelphia Stock Exchange, and the Boston Stock Exchange, and ...

Helsinki.

Overview

Biotie Therapies was formed in the merger of Biotie Therapies Corp. (incorporated in 1998), Oy Contral Pharma Ltd and Carbion Inc in the year 2002. In 2008, Biotie Therapies acquired the German pharmaceutical discovery and development company Elbion GmbH in

Radebeul Radebeul ( hsb, Radobyle) is a town (''große Kreisstadt'') in the Elbe valley in the district of Meißen (district), Meißen in Saxony, Germany, a suburb of Dresden. It is well known for its viticulture, a museum dedicated to writer Karl May ...

. In 2010 Biotie Therapies all preclinical assets were transferred into a new company, biocrea GmbH, in which Biotie become a minority shareholder. In 2011, Biotie acquired a pharmaceutical company, Synosia. The company has partnering agreements with H. Lundbeck A/S and UCB.Biotie Therapies Oyj Company Description
Business Week In January 2016, Acorda Therapeutics acquired Biotie Therapies for $363 million.

Product pipeline

Selincro (nalmefene)

The company's most advanced product,

Nalmefene Nalmefene is an opioid antagonist medication used in the management of opioid overdose and alcohol dependence. It is taken by mouth. Nalmefene is an opiate derivative similar in both structure and activity to the opioid antagonist naltrexone. ...

, for the treatment of

alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol (drug), alcohol that results in significant Mental health, mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognize ...

. Biotie's partner H. Lundbeck A/S received European marketing authorization from the European Commission on 28 February 2013. Lundbeck expects to launch Selincro in its first markets in the middle of 2013. Studies have shown, that

nalmefene Nalmefene is an opioid antagonist medication used in the management of opioid overdose and alcohol dependence. It is taken by mouth. Nalmefene is an opiate derivative similar in both structure and activity to the opioid antagonist naltrexone. ...

has the ability to significantly limit both the patient's average alcohol intake and the number of days with an intake above five

units of alcohol Units of alcohol are used in the United Kingdom (UK) as a measure to quantify the actual alcoholic content within a given volume of an alcoholic beverage, in order to provide guidance on total alcohol consumption. A number of other countries (i ...

. The drug works by removing the patient's desire to drink more, thereby controlling and limiting the intake of alcohol. The drug will be used in tablet form, and taken only according to need. According to the company, this is a novel approach for alcohol dependency treatment; existing treatments are aimed at keeping the patient from drinking and the drugs have to be taken continuously over a longer period of time.Lundbeck announces start of new phase III clinical trials with nalmefene
STOCK EXCHANGE RELEASE 15 December 2008 at 9.30 a.mBalanced CNS and inflammation product pipeline
Company website 2008-03-15

Tozadenant

SYN115, also called tozadenant, was developed as a potential treatment for

or other

CNS disorders Central nervous system diseases, also known as central nervous system disorders, are a group of neurological disorders that affect the structure or function of the brain or spinal cord, which collectively form the central nervous system (CNS). T ...

. It was an orally administered, potent and

inhibitor Inhibitor or inhibition may refer to: In biology * Enzyme inhibitor, a substance that binds to an enzyme and decreases the enzyme's activity * Reuptake inhibitor, a substance that increases neurotransmission by blocking the reuptake of a neurotra ...

of the adenosine A2A receptor. In January 2016, the company was acquired by

, for . In November 2017, the company announced discontinuation of the agent following the death of 5 patients enrolled in the tozadenant Phase III trial from

agranulocytosis Agranulocytosis, also known as agranulosis or granulopenia, is an acute condition involving a severe and dangerous lowered white blood cell count (leukopenia, most commonly of neutrophils) and thus causing a neutropenia in the circulating blood. ...

and associated severe adverse events possibly related to tozadenant.

VAP-1

Vascular Adhesion Protein-1 (VAP-1)

monoclonal antibody A monoclonal antibody (mAb, more rarely called moAb) is an antibody produced from a cell Lineage made by cloning a unique white blood cell. All subsequent antibodies derived this way trace back to a unique parent cell. Monoclonal antibodies ca ...

- intended for treatment of

inflammatory diseases Inflammation (from la, inflammatio) is part of the complex biological response of body tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants, and is a protective response involving immune cells, blood vessels, and molecu ...

, is currently in

Phase I clinical trials The phases of clinical research are the stages in which scientists conduct experiments with a health intervention to obtain sufficient evidence for a process considered effective as a medical treatment. For drug development, the clinical phases ...

with

rheumatoid arthritis Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a long-term autoimmune disorder that primarily affects joints. It typically results in warm, swollen, and painful joints. Pain and stiffness often worsen following rest. Most commonly, the wrist and hands are involv ...

patients. According to the company, inhibiting VAP-1 reduces

inflammation Inflammation (from la, wikt:en:inflammatio#Latin, inflammatio) is part of the complex biological response of body tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or Irritation, irritants, and is a protective response involving im ...

by regulating the migration of

leukocyte White blood cells, also called leukocytes or leucocytes, are the cells of the immune system that are involved in protecting the body against both infectious disease and foreign invaders. All white blood cells are produced and derived from mult ...

s, or

white blood cell White blood cells, also called leukocytes or leucocytes, are the cell (biology), cells of the immune system that are involved in protecting the body against both infectious disease and foreign invaders. All white blood cells are produced and de ...

s, to inflamed tissues. Pathological accumulation of white blood cells in tissue is a common feature in many

autoimmune disease An autoimmune disease is a condition arising from an abnormal immune response to a functioning body part. At least 80 types of autoimmune diseases have been identified, with some evidence suggesting that there may be more than 100 types. Nearly a ...

s, such as rheumatoid arthritis,

ulcerative colitis Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a long-term condition that results in inflammation and ulcers of the colon and rectum. The primary symptoms of active disease are abdominal pain and diarrhea mixed with blood (hematochezia). Weight loss, fever, and a ...

, and

psoriasis Psoriasis is a long-lasting, noncontagious autoimmune disease characterized by raised areas of abnormal skin. These areas are red, pink, or purple, dry, itchy, and scaly. Psoriasis varies in severity from small, localized patches to complete ...

Nepicastat

SYN117 also called nepicastat is a treatment for cocaine dependency and

(PTSD). It is orally administered, potent and selective inhibitor of the enzyme dopamine β-hydroxylase (DBH).

Ronomilast

Ronomilast is a PDE4 inhibitor for chronic inflammatory disorders. It is a small molecule phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitor (PDE4). The product is developed for the treatment of

chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a type of progressive lung disease characterized by long-term respiratory symptoms and airflow limitation. The main symptoms include shortness of breath and a cough, which may or may not produce ...

(COPD). Data from pre-clinical and early clinical trials indicates that the product has a good safety profile. Biotie is in the process of planning a Phase 2 trial in COPD patients and also seeking a partner for late-stage development of ronomilast.

References

{{Reflist, 33em

External links

Company's website
Companies listed on Nasdaq Helsinki Pharmaceutical companies of Finland Pharmaceutical companies established in 1998 Companies formerly listed on the Nasdaq Biotechnology companies of Finland Parkinson's disease organizations Biotechnology companies established in 1998 1998 establishments in Finland