The Foundation is currently supported by six corporate sponsors; Amylin Pharmaceuticals, CovX-Pfizer, Ferring Research Institute, Ipsen Inc., the PolyPeptide Group, and Zydus Cadila.
Sponsors
Amylin Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company committed to improving lives through the discovery, development and commercialization of innovative medicines.
The company was founded in 1987 on the discovery of a hormone, amylin, produced by the same beta cells of the pancreas that make insulin. Since then, Amylin has built a strong foundation on research and development. Amylin's scientists are primarily focused on investigating the potential utility of new peptide hormone candidates. The company has amassed significant research and clinical expertise in metabolic medicine including the areas of diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease. By "Challenging Science," Amylin challenges conventional thinking to create innovative approaches to the discovery, development and commercialization of novel therapies for metabolic diseases. Amylin's approach and dedication are rooted in the belief that they will be "Changing Lives" for millions of people - not only with the drugs currently in late-stage development, but also with their pipeline of future therapies
CovX San Diego is one of the Biotech Research Units within Pfizer Worldwide Research & Development. There are R&D sites across the United States, as well as Europe and Asia. CovX contributes to Pfizer’s biotherapeutic portfolio by concentrating on the development of novel biotherapeutic conjugates, known as CovX-Bodies. The highly flexible nature of the technology used to efficiently create CovX-Bodies also enables CovX scientists to identify high-value biological targets and to expeditiously move candidates to pre-clinical development and clinical evaluation.
Collaborating with other Pfizer sites, CovX scientists combine skills in peptide screening and optimization with state-of-the-art bioconjugation capabilities to provide therapies tailor made for therapeutic areas such as oncology and metabolic disease. Continuing innovation on the part of the approximately 85 scientists and staff has provided multiple new platforms that can be further exploited specifically for bifunctional/multifunctional capability. Since being acquired by Pfizer in 2008, CovX has progressed several molecules into clinical phases of development including CVX-060, an antiangiogenesis agent for cancer into Phase Ib/II trials; CVX-096, a drug for the treatment of diabetes into Phase I; and a novel bifunctional for solid tumors (CVX-241) into Phase I.
Ferring Pharmaceuticals is a specialty, research-driven biopharmaceutical company focused on biologics, peptides and proteins therapeutics, in three main core therapeutic areas, infertility, urology and gastroenterology. The company headquartered in Saint-Prex (Switzerland), employs over 3,200 people worldwide and operates subsidiaries in over 45 countries. The company R&D centers are located Saint-Prex (Switzerland), Copenhagen (Denmark), Mumbai (India), Beer Tuvia (Israel) and Parsippany and San Diego (United States).
The Ferring Research Institute, Inc. (FRI) was established in San Diego in 1996 as the company’s center of excellence for peptide research. FRI focuses its research on naturally-occurring peptides/hormones and receptors involved in the control of the body’s major biological functions and physio-pathological processes. Its peptide chemistry technology and expertise enables in-depth modification of virtually all peptide/hormone families, allowing the custom design of peptide therapeutics with improved pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics and pharmaceutical properties. This has lead in recent years to the discovery of a number of innovative peptidic new chemical entities (NCEs) now at various stages of development, either in house or externally. The most advanced NCE, degarelix, was recently approved by the FDA for the treatment of patients with advanced prostate cancer.
Ipsen Inc., Ipsen is an innovation-driven international specialty pharmaceutical group with over 20 products on the market and a total worldwide staff of nearly 4,000. Its development strategy is based on a combination of specialty products, which are growth drivers, in targeted therapeutic areas (oncology, endocrinology and neuromuscular disorders), and primary care products which contribute significantly to its research financing. The location of its four Research & Development centres (Paris, Boston, Barcelona, London) and its peptide and protein engineering platform give the Group a competitive edge in gaining access to leading university research teams and highly qualified personnel. More than 700 people in R&D are dedicated to the discovery and development of innovative drugs for patient care. This strategy is also supported by an active policy of partnerships. In 2007, Research and Development expenditure was about €185 million, in excess of 20% of consolidated sales, which amounted to €920.5 million while total revenues amounted to €993.8 million. Ipsen’s shares are traded on Segment A of Euronext Paris (stock code: IPN, ISIN code: FR0010259150). Ipsen’s shares are eligible to the “Service de Règlement Différé” (“SRD”) and the Group is part of the SBF 120 index. For more information on Ipsen, visit our website at www.ipsen.com
PolyPeptide Group is a leading provider of custom and generic GMP-grade peptides for a range of pharmaceutical and biotechnology applications. With corporate roots that began in the 1950s, the Group was formally launched in 1996. Today, it operates a growing international network of peptide manufacturing facilities. Its world-class chemists and support personnel offer an unparalleled range of services for clients of every size and at every stage of product development. More information about PolyPeptide Group is available at www.PolyPeptide.com. PolyPeptide Group is a group of six companies, that are exclusively focused on the manufacture of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) based on peptides and related substances. The PolyPeptide Group is privately held and employs bout 450+ staff worldwide.
The PolyPeptide Group has been inspected by the FDA ten times as well by other Regulatory Authorities. Altogether, the Group has about 20 approved APIs.
Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, Roche is a leader in research-focused healthcare with combined strengths in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics. Roche is the world’s largest biotech company with truly differentiated medicines in oncology, virology, inflammation, metabolism and CNS. Roche is also the world leader in in-vitro diagnostics, tissue-based cancer diagnostics and a pioneer in diabetes management. Roche’s personalised healthcare strategy aims at providing medicines and diagnostic tools that enable tangible improvements in the health, quality of life and survival of patients. In 2010, Roche had over 80,000 employees worldwide and invested over 9 billion Swiss francs in R&D. The Group posted sales of 47.5 billion Swiss francs. Genentech, United States, is a wholly owned member of the Roche Group. Roche has a majority stake in Chugai Pharmaceutical, Japan. For more information: www.roche.com.
Zydus Cadila is an innovative global pharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, manufactures and markets a broad range of healthcare products. The group’s operations range from API to formulations, animal health products and cosmeceuticals. Headquartered in the city of Ahmedabad in India, the group has global operations in four continents spread across USA, Europe, Japan, Brazil, South Africa and 25 other emerging markets.
In its mission to create healthier communities globally, Zydus Cadila delivers wide ranging healthcare solutions and value to its customers. With over 13,000 employees worldwide, a world-class research and development centre dedicated to discovery research and eight state-of-the-art manufacturing plants, the group is dedicated to improving people’s lives. Recently, Zydus Cadila was declared as the ‘Emerging Company of the Year’ by the Economic Times for Corporate Excellence in 2010. In keeping with its vision, the group achieved the billion dollar mark in sales in March 2011. It is now set to emerge as one of the leading global healthcare companies with sales of over $3 billion by 2015 and a global research driven company by 2020.