Basilea Pharmaceutica is a multinational specialty biopharmaceutical company headquartered in

Basel, Switzerland , french: link=no, Bâlois(e), it, Basilese , neighboring_municipalities= Allschwil (BL), Hégenheim (FR-68), Binningen (BL), Birsfelden (BL), Bottmingen (BL), Huningue (FR-68), Münchenstein (BL), Muttenz (BL), Reinach (BL), Riehen (BS), ...

. It was formed as a spin-off entity from the drug giant

Hoffmann–La Roche F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, commonly known as Roche, is a Swiss multinational healthcare company that operates worldwide under two divisions: Pharmaceuticals and Diagnostics. Its holding company, Roche Holding AG, has shares listed on the SIX ...

in October 2000. It is engaged in the development of antibiotics, antifungals and oncology drugs for treatment of invasive aspergillosis and invasive mucormycosis. Basilea is publicly traded on the SIX Swiss exchange (). The company is based in

. It has subsidiaries in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

( Basilea Pharmaceuticals SAS),

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

( Basilea Pharmaceuticals GmbH),

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

( Basilea Pharmaceuticals A/S), the

People's Republic of China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

( Basilea Pharmaceutica China Ltd),

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

( Basilea Pharmaceuticals Iberia SL), the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

( Basilea Pharmaceuticals Ltd.), and the

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

( Basilea Pharmaceuticals Inc.). According to stock filings, it had 196 employees as of June 2007. Among the company's notable products is

Isavuconazole Isavuconazonium sulfate, sold under the brand name Cresemba, is a systemic antifungal medication of the triazole class which is used to treat invasive aspergillosis and mucormycosis. The most common side effects include abnormal liver tests, ...

(CRESEMBA), an intravenous and oral antifungal, which received orphan drug status designation by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2013. The company also manufactures pharmaceuticals for use against

methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus Methicillin-resistant ''Staphylococcus aureus'' (MRSA) is a group of Gram-positive bacteria that are genetically distinct from other strains of '' Staphylococcus aureus''. MRSA is responsible for several difficult-to-treat infections in human ...

Company history

Basilea Pharmaceutica was founded in 2000 as a spin-off entity of pharmaceutical giant Hoffman-LaRoche. In 2002, the company founded Basilea Pharmaceutica China Ltd., a research facility located in Haimen Technology Development Zone, north of

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...

, China, which it operates as a wholly owned subsidiary. Basilea is marketing Toctino (alitretinoin), for the treatment of severe chronic hand eczema, in Denmark, France, Germany, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. The drug is approved in 14 additional European countries as well as in Canada and has been recommended for approval in eight further European countries. Ceftobiprole is a cephalosporin antibiotic with activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus being developed in cooperation with Johnson & Johnson was approved in Europe in October 2013.Basilea antibiotic to treat pneumonia wins European backing.
Reuters, ZURICH , Wed Oct 23, 2013.

, a broad-spectrum

triazole A triazole is a heterocyclic compound featuring a five-membered ring of two carbon atoms and three nitrogen atoms with molecular formula C2H3N3. Triazoles exhibit substantial isomerism, depending on the positioning of the nitrogen atoms within t ...

antifungal drug An antifungal medication, also known as an antimycotic medication, is a pharmaceutical fungicide or fungistatic used to treat and prevent mycosis such as athlete's foot, ringworm, candidiasis (thrush), serious systemic infections such as Cryptoc ...

in Phase III clinical development has won orphan drug status in the United States. Basilea partnered with pharmaceutical company Astellas Pharma Inc., which holds the U.S. rights to the drug, to conduct two phase 3 clinical trials. The trials demonstrated safety and efficacy in adults with invasive fungal infections. Following these trials, the FDA granted approval for the use of isavuconazole in patients with invasive

aspergillosis Aspergillosis is a fungal infection of usually the lungs, caused by the genus ''Aspergillus'', a common mould that is breathed in frequently from the air around, but does not usually affect most people. It generally occurs in people with lung di ...

and invasive

mucormycosis Mucormycosis, also known as black fungus, is a serious fungal infection that comes under fulminant fungal sinusitis, usually in people who are immunocompromised. It is curable only when diagnosed early. Symptoms depend on where in the body the ...

, diseases that typically occur in immunocompromised patients.

R&D and manufacturing operations

Antibiotics research

Basilea's antibiotic research efforts emphasize optimizing established drug mechanisms, such as beta-lactamase inhibition, as well as identification of molecular targets not currently being exploited in the antibiotic arena, with particular focus on novel inhibitors of bacterial cell-wall bio-synthesis and cell division. Basilea coordinates with other pharmaceutical companies and public research organizations as part of the NewDrugs4BadBugs program. A program of the Innovative Medicine Initiative (IMI) that partners pharmaceutical companies with academic institutions and biotech organizations in an effort to solve the scientific, regulatory and business challenges posed by antibiotic resistance.

Oncology research

The company directs its oncology research towards development of antitumor drugs that overcome drug-resistance problems associated with currently available cancer treatment drugs for both hematological and solid cancers.

Products

Its products include: *

, trade name CRESEMBA, an intravenous and oral antifungal *

Ceftobiprole Ceftobiprole (Zevtera/Mabelio) is a fifth-generation cephalosporin for the treatment of hospital-acquired pneumonia (excluding ventilator-associated pneumonia) and community-acquired pneumonia. It is marketed by Basilea Pharmaceutica in the Unit ...

, trade names Zevtera®/Mabelio®, an intravenous broad-spectrum antibiotic suitable for use against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) *

Alitretinoin Alitretinoin, or 9-cis-retinoic acid, is a form of vitamin A. It is also used in medicine as an antineoplastic (anti-cancer) agent developed by Ligand Pharmaceuticals. It is a first generation retinoid. Ligand gained Food and Drug Administration ...

, trade name Toctino®, a retinoid-based oral drug * BAL101553, an oral oncology drug in development for treatment of numerous types of cancer. BAL101553 functions as a tumor checkpoint controller. It is currently in clinical phase 1/2a trials in patients with advanced solid tumors, including bowel, stomach, ovarian, pancreatic and non small cell lung cancers. * BAL3833, an oral oncology drug candidate, this panRAF inhibitor halts tumour cell proliferation via kinase inhibition. Currently undergoing phase 1 safety trials in patients with advanced solid tumours. One such trial is an 18-month study involving patients with metastatic melanoma sponsored by The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust. * BAL30072, an experimental antibiotic. The drug is being adapted for inhalation on the presumption that this delivery method may improve safety and effectiveness in managing these conditions. A 5-year independent study will be carried out on inhalation therapy with BAL30072 by a group of pulmonologists and lung specialists from the inhaled Antibiotics in Bronchiectasis and Cystic fibrosis Consortium (iABC).

References