Conditions such as HIV, asthma, hepatitis, and severe migraines affect the quality of life of those living with these conditions. These conditions require patients to take preventive or control medication to avoid adverse developments due to the conditions. Pharmaceutical companies like Valeo Pharma Inc. (CSE:VPH) (OTCQB:VPHIF), Pfizer (NYSE:PFE), Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT), AbbVie Inc. (NYSE:ABBV), and Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) have taken note of the challenges of managing these conditions and the potential of exacerbations and worse outcomes for people with poorly managed conditions. They have developed drugs and advanced care therapies that improve the management of these conditions. These developments in the pharmaceutical industry open up a potential market opportunity for companies that are positioned to provide improved healthcare solutions.
Valeo Pharma to Commercialize Advanced Asthma Maintenance Therapies in Canada
Valeo Pharma Inc. (CSE:VPH) (OTCQB:VPHIF) is a Canadian pharmaceutical company committed to the commercialization of innovative prescription products in Canada with a focus on respirology, neurodegenerative diseases, oncology, and specialty products.
The company recently announced a commercialization and supply agreement with Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc., a company responsible for the development of 2 asthma therapies, Enerzair Breezhaler and Atectura Breezhaler.
The agreement gives Valeo Pharma the responsibility of overseeing the medical and commercial activities for the two therapies for an initial 8-year period.
Close to four million Canadians of all age groups live with the condition, with most dwelling in fear of severe exacerbations, which remain high, and with a heavy mortality burden. Current studies also indicate that about 39% of patients have poorly controlled asthma due to low adherence, poor inhaler technique, and treatment misuse.
The two therapies that Valeo will be commercializing seek to provide an effective maintenance treatment option that addresses the symptoms, long-term complications, and mortality from asthma.
“This agreement with Valeo Pharma fits our overall strategy to provide innovative medicines that have the potential to improve health outcomes,” said Andrea Marazzi, Head Country Pharma Organization, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc. “Valeo’s Commitment and focus to bring Enerzair Breezhaler and Atectura Breezhaler to Canadians combined with our strong respiratory experience, brings a solution that will help make asthma control a more attainable goal for some Canadians.”
Frederic Fasano, President and COO of Valeo Pharma, said about the agreement, “Enerzair Breezhaler and Atectura Breezhaler are both benefiting from an extensive phase III clinical trial program including more than 7500 asthma patients. The efficacy of both treatments on symptoms, lung function, and rate of exacerbations have been demonstrated and this will provide Canadian patients with a significant improvement over current standards of care.” He added that the addition of these two asthma therapies will immensely help Valeo to achieve its growth objectives moving forward.
Research Key to the Development of More Effective Treatments
Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) is a pharmaceutical company that has been at the forefront of developing vaccines against COVID-19 in a collaboration with BioNTech. According to Chief Executive Albert Bourla, the company plans to expand its vaccine portfolio using the mRNA technology that it used for COVID-19 vaccines. While Bourla declined to comment on which vaccines the company will target, introducing more vaccines could reduce the company’s reliance on cancer drugs, which currently make up about 33% of Pfizer’s product pipeline.
In a quest to end the HIV battle, Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) conducted a study leading to the discovery of a rare group of individuals with controlled HIV in the Democratic Republic of Congo, who could be key to uncovering biological trends within this group and lead to advancements in HIV treatments and potential vaccines. 38 million people are living with HIV, and for most of them, the condition chronically progresses over time. “Global Surveillance work keeps us ahead of emerging infectious diseases – and in this instance, we realized we have found something that could be another step toward unlocking a cure for HIV,” said Michael Berg, Ph.D., an associate research fellow in infectious disease research at Abbott and lead author of the study.
AbbVie Inc. (NYSE:ABBV) announced the FDA’s acceptance of its New Drug Application (NDA) for atogepant, an investigational orally administered CGRP receptor antagonist for preventive treatment of migraine in adults who meet the criteria for episodic migraine. The NDA has support from a phase 3, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group trial that evaluated the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of oral atogepant for the preventive treatment of migraine for people experiencing 4-14 migraine days per month. “With the integration of Allergan, AbbVie is now a committed leader in migraine with an almost 25-year history in migraine research. We look forward to potentially adding a new treatment option to our portfolio that will help more people with migraines,” said Michael Gold, MD, vice president, neuroscience development, AbbVie.
On March 4, Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) announced the completion of its acquisition of MYR GmbH, which provides Gilead with Hepcludex for the treatment of chronic hepatitis delta virus. “Hepcludex is an important new addition to the Gilead portfolio. With its first-in-class therapy for HDV, the most severe form of viral hepatitis, we have the opportunity to address an area of high unmet medical need. Gilead has nearly 20 years of experience in innovating and improving therapies for viral hepatitis. We can now build on that with Hepcludex, working with the MYR team to realize the full potential of the therapy for people with HDV worldwide,” said Daniel O’Day, chairman and CEO of Gilead Sciences.
Pharmaceutical companies such as Valeo Pharma are poised to benefit from the development of innovative therapies for conditions that affect the quality of patients living with conditions like asthma, hepatitis, HIV, and more.
For more information about Valeo Pharma Inc., click here.
Featured image: DepositPhotos © avemario
