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The picture that comes into most people’s
minds when they hear the word "medicine"
is the image of tablets, capsules or injections.
Yet on the most basic scientific level, medicine
is actually a molecule that intervenes in a disease
process. And from the very start of Ferring’s
business, the mission has been to create medicines
that treat and heal the body on its own terms by
using molecules that synthesized the body’s
own mechanisms for treating and fighting disease.
Ferring’s founder, Dr. Frederik Paulsen, hoped
to improve the health and quality of life for patients
by using Ferring’s innovative products, most
of which are based on naturally occurring peptide
hormones.
Dr. Paulsen initiated the industrial synthesis
of these peptides. He explored the concept that
they could be reconfigured to produce compounds
with all the advantages and none of the limitations
of the naturally occurring molecule. He was convinced
that these new compounds could be used to supplement
deficiencies and correct abnormalities, thus playing
an invaluable role in the treatment of numerous
conditions.
Five decades later, Dr Paulsen’s predictions
have proved remarkably accurate. Today, peptides
from Ferring are widely used in endocrinology, obstetrics,
infertility and urology. Ferring is one of the world’s
largest producers of synthetic peptides and a leading
authority on the subject. Even as its search for
new therapies continues, Ferring says it will continue
to focus on peptide hormones and proteases.
Ferring Research Institute is born
As part of Ferring’s global R&D peptide
initiative, Ferring Research Institute (FRI) in
San Diego, California, was established in 1996 to
bring a fresh approach to the discovery of new peptide-based
therapeutic drugs.
The Institute has developed and mobilized an engineering
approach to the design of novel synthetic drugs
based upon the molecular structures of target proteins
and peptides, which play key roles in human disease.
Known as peptide structure-based drug design, this
approach uses innovations from a variety of scientific
disciplines and substantially overcomes the technical
barriers to traditional drug discovery. From this
technology, FRI has built a new kind of foundation
for one of the pharmaceutical industry's most elusive
assets: a real product pipeline.
“Ferring’s product portfolio illustrates
an exceptionally innovative and successful track
record,” said vice president of Operations
of FRI, Jerzy Trojnar. “A policy of providing
therapy for rare diseases has made Ferring famous
in many fields, and its products the drugs of choice
for several indications.”
Over the last six years, this San Diego-based group
of scientists has identified two drug candidates:
FE 200 486 for prostate cancer and FE 200 440 for
the management of preterm labor. The group has also
firmly established the research areas of target
discovery, lead discovery, and chemistry.
“FRI has a number of major projects in development
as well as two projects in advanced research,”
said Trojnar. “These R&D projects are well-positioned
to complement Ferring’s existing portfolio
as well as to offer innovative follow-ups to some
of the Ferring Group’s most successful brands.”
In addition, these projects fit neatly into the
company’s core areas of expertise in peptide
technology and controlled release. The projects
are further characterized by the original way in
which they are being developed. The company expects
a continuous flow of new products from these R&D
activities.
A potential breakthrough in prostate cancer
Ferring researchers are now developing the promising
and long-acting GnRH antagonist FE 200 486 to battle
prostate cancer.
Because of the aging population, the market for
prostate cancer continues to grow at 10-15 percent
per year. Ferring’s antagonist is positioned
as a natural successor to the present superantagonists
because the new antagonist has an immediate onset
of action, higher potency and an immediate inhibition
of the secretion of testosterone.
Finding better solutions in preterm labour
A new drug indicated for the treatment of preterm
labor just entered development. Ferring has been
researching oxytocin antagonists since the late
1970s. This research has resulted in the product
Tractocile, which was approved in Europe in early
2000, for the treatment of preterm labor.
However, continuing work has resulted in the discovery
of a more active compound. FE200 440 has a more
rapid onset of action and a longer duration of action
than Tractocile. FE200 440 is a peptide that offers
a low side-effect profile and the high specificity
required by an indication like preterm labor.
Pre-term birth accounts for more than two-thirds
of all neonatal deaths and is the leading cause
of handicap in children. OB/GYN doctors are particularly
pressed to find the right treatment solution. It
is estimated that there are 13 million preterm births
worldwide annually.
Collaborating with Harvard Medical School
Ferring is working with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical
Center at Harvard Medical School on new peptide
therapies for the treatment and prevention of osteoporosis.
The collaboration between Ferring and BIDMC investigators
will focus on the role of the parathyroid hormone
(PTH) and its receptor in bone metabolism, an area
of research in which the investigators, led by Dr.
Michael Rosenblatt, chief of the Division of Bone
and Mineral Research at BIDMC and the George Richards
Minot Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School
have made significant advances in recent years.
“Our studies of the molecular pathophysiology
and cell biology of osteoporosis have led to a critical
understanding of the PTH hormone and receptor as
integral components to the process of bone formation,”
says Dr. Rosenblatt. “This collaboration with
Ferring will provide us the opportunity to design
and test new activators and suppressors of the PTH
pathway in our efforts to develop more effective
drugs for the treatment of osteoporosis.”
Osteoporosis is a growing problem throughout the
U.S. and the world. The most common of skeletal
disorders, the problem affects an estimated 15 percent
of all women and five percent of all men by the
age of 80, and is the major cause of disability
and death in the elderly. Characterized by a progressive
decrease in bone density, osteoporosis causes bones
to become brittle, weakened and easily fractured.
Since a person’s bone mass naturally begins
to decline after age 35, and is accelerated in women
following menopause, early diagnosis and treatment
is key to preventing serious disability.
“This agreement brings to bear Ferring’s
expertise in the areas of peptide chemistry, pharmacology
and drug-delivery systems,” says Alan Harris,
vice president of Portfolio Planning and Technology
Transfer.
Harnessing the power of the human genome
While peptides will always be a mainstay of the
company’s R&D foundation, FRI is currently
involved in the fields of gene hunting and genome
database mining as well. The company is collaborating
on an ongoing basis with academic institutions in
the U.S. to harness the role of the large number
of peptides and proteins expressed in genes now
identified as a result of mapping the human genome
(genetic composition).
Such research will give Ferring discovery scientists
a powerful new tool that will allow the company
to identify biological targets much faster than
traditional techniques. Academic, industry and government
researchers from many countries are collaborating
to fully understand the role of the many genes that
provide the basis of the human genetic makeup.
“This growing body of knowledge is fostering
revolutionary advances in our understanding of how
diseases start and develop,” said Trojnar.
By integrating these knowledge resources with Ferring's
own systems and other computerized analytical tools,
Ferring is confident that it will lead the way to
drug therapies of the future.
This article was contributed by Ferring Pharmaceuticals
for more information please visit: www.ferring.com
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