Glycorex Transplantation AB (publ) announces collaboration partner

Glycorex Transplantation AB (publ) has previously announced that the company is collaborating with a leading European research institute in order to develop a product for the treatment of the autoimmune disease, Rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Glycorex can today announce that this institute is University Hospital in Toulouse (UHT).

Within this collaboration Glycorex is combining its unique technology base incorporating with RA-associated compounds developed at the University Hospital in Toulouse. The goal is to develop a specific extracorporeal blood treatment of chronically ill Rheumatoid arthritis patients. The RA-associated compounds are exclusively licensed to Glycorex. Glycorex and UHT shares the same intention and aim being to introduce a new treatment on the market.

The feasibility of this product has already been demonstrated in successful in vitro tests. The product has also undergone biocompatibility studies and a number of different required blood analysis tests with excellent results.

The next step will be to conduct a clinical study in accordance with the extensive EU Medical Device Regulation (MDR). MDD (the Medical Device Directive) is replaced by MDR. The new regulation shall be implemented for all medical devices in the EU within the next few years. The first goal will thus be to fulfill the requirements for MDR and the company has initiated and is working on this process. The clinical study will most likely be conducted in collaboration between Glycorex and the university hospitals in Toulouse & Marseille.  

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic autoimmune disease with a prevalence to be estimated between 0.5 and 2% of the world's population, with women being 2 to 3 times more affected than men. Its prevalence increases with age, approaching 5 % in women over 55 years of age.

The disease is considered to reduce life expectancy by about ten years. Up to 10 percent of patients do not respond to today’s treatments and here we see great potential.

Given the great potential and medical benefits, the RA project is a high priority in our development work.

The global market for RA treatments in total was estimated at $14 billion in 2013 and is expected to reach $18 billion in 2023.

Contact

Geert Nygaard, CEO, Glycorex Transplantation AB.

E-mail: [email protected], phone: 046-286 52 30

Brief information about the company

Glycosorb® ABO is one of Glycorex Transplantation AB's self-developed proprietary medical devices that is used clinically in four continents to facilitate blood group-compatible transplants, especially in kidney transplants from related living donors, but the product is also used in liver, heart, lung and stem cell transplantation. The product has so far been used in more than 5,000 kidney transplants. The short-term and long-term results are excellent. The results have been presented in over 60 scientific articles in reputable medical journals. Each kidney transplant has been estimated to save up to SEK 5 million in dialysis costs alone. Each kidney transplant saves about 150 dialysis treatments per year, meaning that the over 5,000 kidney transplants performed after Glycosorb® treatments, can be estimated to save over 700,000 dialysis treatments per year. In addition to Europe, the product is used in India, Canada, Israel, Singapore, Thailand, Mexico and Australia, for example.

The company has also developed a CE-marked medical device for the development of universal blood plasma and are developing products for the specific reduction of autoantibodies in the treatment of autoimmune diseases, as well as products for specific reduction of galectins. The company also develops products for the simultaneous reduction of blood group A/B specific antibodies and HLA antibodies (tissue-specific antibodies). The company is collaborating with a leading European research institute to develop a product for the treatment of the autoimmune disease rheumatoid arthritis. There are approximately 5 million patients in the EU who have this disease.

Glycorex Transplantation AB (publ) is listed on NGM Main Regulated Equity (Nordic Growth Market) and is traded under the symbol GTAB B.