Giaconda is an Australian

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 ...

company headquartered in Sydney. The company was founded in 2004 to commercialise a number of drug combinations developed by Professor

Thomas Borody Thomas J. Borody (born 1950) is an Australian gastroenterology, gastroenterologist. In the 1980s Borody contributed to development of a treatment for ''Helicobacter pylori''. During the COVID-19 pandemic he became embroiled in controversy for ad ...

, a Sydney-based gastroenterologist.

History

Giaconda was named after the Giaconda Vineyard and Winery, which is located nine kilometres southwest of

Beechworth Beechworth is a well-preserved historical town located in the north-east of Victoria, Australia, famous for its major growth during the gold rush days of the mid-1850s. At the , Beechworth had a population of 3,859. Beechworth's many histor ...

in the northeastern part of the Australian state of

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

. That vineyard in turn derives its name from ''La Gioconda'', which is a nickname for the

Mona Lisa The ''Mona Lisa'' ( ; it, Gioconda or ; french: Joconde ) is a half-length portrait painting by Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. Considered an archetypal masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance, it has been described as "the best known ...

Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 14522 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, Drawing, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially res ...

. Giaconda uses a stylised version of the Mona Lisa in its company logo. Giaconda's CEO is Mr Patrick McLean, a Canadian who was previously Senior Vice-President European Commercial Operations of the

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

-based Axcan Pharma. Giaconda was a public company whose stock was traded on the

Australian Stock Exchange Australian Securities Exchange Ltd or ASX, is an Australian public company that operates Australia's primary securities exchange, the Australian Securities Exchange (sometimes referred to outside of Australia as, or confused within Australia as, ...

under the stock code GIA. The company completed an

initial public offering An initial public offering (IPO) or stock launch is a public offering in which shares of a company are sold to institutional investors and usually also to retail (individual) investors. An IPO is typically underwritten by one or more investment ...

in September 2005, issuing 12 million shares at 50 Australian cents each. Thomas Borody currently owns around 70% of the stock. In August 2010 it sold the patents for Myoconda, Heliconda and Picoconda to RedHill Biopharma The company went into voluntary administration in February 2011.

Products

Giaconda worked on five products, all of which were given names ending in '-conda'. Myoconda, the company's lead product, is a combination of the

antibiotics An antibiotic is a type of antimicrobial substance active against bacteria. It is the most important type of antibacterial agent for fighting bacterial infections, and antibiotic medications are widely used in the treatment and prevention o ...

rifabutin Rifabutin (Rfb) is an antibiotic used to treat tuberculosis and prevent and treat ''Mycobacterium avium'' complex. It is typically only used in those who cannot tolerate rifampin such as people with HIV/AIDS on antiretrovirals. For active tubercu ...

clarithromycin Clarithromycin, sold under the brand name Biaxin among others, is an antibiotic used to treat various bacterial infections. This includes strep throat, pneumonia, skin infections, ''H. pylori'' infection, and Lyme disease, among others. Clarith ...

and

clofazimine Clofazimine, sold under the brand name Lamprene, is a medication used together with rifampicin and dapsone to treat leprosy. It is specifically used for multibacillary (MB) leprosy and erythema nodosum leprosum. Evidence is insufficient to suppor ...

. The combination is envisaged as a new treatment for

Crohn's disease Crohn's disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that may affect any segment of the gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms often include abdominal pain, diarrhea (which may be bloody if inflammation is severe), fever, abdominal distension ...

. Myoconda was first devised by Thomas Borody around 1997. The product has its origins in Borody's view that Crohn's disease is caused by infection with the bacterium

Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis ''Mycobacterium avium'' subspecies ''paratuberculosis'' (MAP) is an obligate pathogenic bacterium in the genus '' Mycobacterium''. It is often abbreviated ''M. paratuberculosis'' or ''M. avium'' ssp. ''paratuberculosis''. It is the causative ag ...

, and that the disease can therefore be fought using drugs effective against the bacterium, such as those used in Myoconda. In 2000 Borody's organisation granted

Pharmacia Pharmacia was a pharmaceutical and biotechnological company in Sweden that merged with the American pharmaceutical company Upjohn in 1995. History Pharmacia company was founded in 1911 in Stockholm, Sweden by pharmacist Gustav Felix Grönfeldt ...

an option to license the Myoconda patent in return for that company agreeing to conduct a Phase III clinical trial. The results of a Phase II trial were published in 2002. The Phase III trial in 213 Crohn's patients was completed in September 2004 was results announced in 2005, however by this stage Pharmacia had merged with

Pfizer Pfizer Inc. ( ) is an American multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation headquartered on 42nd Street in Manhattan, New York City. The company was established in 1849 in New York by two German entrepreneurs, Charles Pfizer ...

and the latter company had decided not to exercise its Myoconda option. A non-binding letter of intent was signed in April 2006 with

Forest Laboratories Forest Laboratories was a company in the pharmaceutical industry incorporated in Delaware, with its principal office in New York City. It was known for licensing European pharmaceuticals for sale in the United States. On July 1, 2014, the compan ...

for the UK and Irish market. A second Phase III trial is planned, and Giaconda hoped to be able to launch the product in the United States in 2008. Hepaconda is a product for the treatment of

Hepatitis C Hepatitis C is an infectious disease caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV) that primarily affects the liver; it is a type of viral hepatitis. During the initial infection people often have mild or no symptoms. Occasionally a fever, dark urine, a ...

infection. The product, a combination of

bezafibrate Bezafibrate (marketed as Bezalip and various other brand names) is a fibrate drug used as a lipid-lowering agent to treat hyperlipidaemia. It helps to lower LDL cholesterol and triglyceride in the blood, and increase HDL. It was patented in 197 ...

with

chenodeoxycholic acid Chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA; also known as chenodesoxycholic acid, chenocholic acid and 3α,7α-dihydroxy-5β-cholan-24-oic acid) is a bile acid. Salts of this carboxylic acid are called chenodeoxycholates. Chenodeoxycholic acid is one of the mai ...

, was invented in 2001. Hepaconda is being developed as a 'rescue therapy' for Hepatitis C patients that have exhausted other treatment options. It is also envisaged that Hepaconda could be used to treat

primary biliary cirrhosis Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), previously known as primary biliary cirrhosis, is an autoimmune disease of the liver. It results from a slow, progressive destruction of the small bile ducts of the liver, causing bile and other toxins to build ...

and

non-alcoholic steatohepatitis Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), also known as metabolic (dysfunction) associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), is excessive fat build-up in the liver without another clear cause such as alcohol use. There are two types; non-alcoholic ...

. Giaconda had initially envisaged using

ursodeoxycholic acid Ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), also known as ursodiol, is a secondary bile acid, produced in humans and most other species from metabolism by intestinal bacteria. It is synthesized in the liver in some species, and was first identified in bile of ...

as the bile acid in Hepaconda, but in 2006 the company shifted its attention to the use of chenodeoxycholic acid, having decided that its patent protection extended to all bile acid / fibrate combinations other than bezafibrate plus ursodoxycholic acid. Heliconda, a product for the treatment of drug-resistant

Helicobacter pylori ''Helicobacter pylori'', previously known as ''Campylobacter pylori'', is a gram-negative, microaerophilic, spiral (helical) bacterium usually found in the stomach. Its helical shape (from which the genus name, helicobacter, derives) is though ...

, is a combination of the antibiotics

and

amoxicillin Amoxicillin is an antibiotic medication used to treat a number of bacterial infections. These include middle ear infection, strep throat, pneumonia, skin infections, and urinary tract infections among others. It is taken by mouth, or less c ...

and the

proton pump inhibitor Proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) are a class of medications that cause a profound and prolonged reduction of stomach acid production. They do so by irreversibly inhibiting the stomach's H+/K+ ATPase proton pump. They are the most potent inhibitors ...

drug

pantoprazole Pantoprazole, sold under the brand name Protonix, among others, is a proton pump inhibitor used for the treatment of stomach ulcers, short-term treatment of erosive esophagitis due to gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), maintenance of heali ...

. Heliconda was invented in 1998. In 2006 the results of a Phase II study of Heliconda in around 130 patients with resistant ''H. pylori'' infection was published. This study demonstrated an eradication of the infection in 90.9% of patients treated with Heliconda. Ibaconda is a product for the treatment of constipation-predominant

irritable bowel syndrome Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a "disorder of gut-brain interaction" characterized by a group of symptoms that commonly include abdominal pain and or abdominal bloating and changes in the consistency of bowel movements. These symptoms may ...

. The product, invented by Thomas Borody in 1997, is a combination of the anti-inflammatory drug

olsalazine Olsalazine is an anti-inflammatory medication used in the treatment of ulcerative colitis. It is sold under the brand name Dipentum. Olsalazine itself is a pro-drug of mesalazine (5-aminosalicyclic acid or 5-ASA) and is not absorbed in the small ...

and the anti-

gout Gout ( ) is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of a red, tender, hot and swollen joint, caused by deposition of monosodium urate monohydrate crystals. Pain typically comes on rapidly, reaching maximal intensit ...

drug

colchicine Colchicine is a medication used to treat gout and Behçet's disease. In gout, it is less preferred to NSAIDs or steroids. Other uses for colchicine include the management of pericarditis and familial Mediterranean fever. Colchicine is taken ...

. Picoconda is a bowel preparation for use in gastrointestinal tract procedures. This product was invented by Thomas Borody in 1995. It represents an attempt to replace conventional bowel preparations, which are often considered unpalatable. The product contains a

laxative Laxatives, purgatives, or aperients are substances that loosen stools and increase bowel movements. They are used to treat and prevent constipation. Laxatives vary as to how they work and the side effects they may have. Certain stimulant, lubri ...

called sodium picosulphate, but capsulised and mixed with electrolytes so that it is

palatable Palatability (or palatableness) is the hedonic reward (i.e., pleasure) provided by foods or fluids that are agreeable to the "palate", which often varies relative to the homeostatic satisfaction of nutritional, water, or energy needs. The palatabi ...

References

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External links

Australian Securities Exchange company information
Pharmaceutical companies of Australia Companies listed on the Australian Securities Exchange Pharmaceutical companies established in 2004