Therapure Biopharma And Stellar Pharmaceuticals Announce Contract
Therapure Biopharma Inc. and Stellar Pharmaceuticals Inc. recently jointly announced the signing of an agreement under which Therapure will provide fill/finish services for pre-filled syringes of Stellar’s natural viscosupplement, NeoVisc.
Under the terms of the agreement, Therapure will formulate and fill NeoVisc into sterile syringes at its fully-qualified and licensed facility, using equipment specially designed for this process.
NeoVisc is a viscosupplement that, when injected into the synovial space of affected joints, offers osteoarthritis (“OA”) patients a drug-free method to treat the pain associated with their condition. NeoVisc uses a natural, linear hyaluronan derived from a fermentation process, unlike competitive viscosupplements that use an altered, cross-linked hyaluronan. The primary benefit of using linear versus cross-linked hyaluronans is that the former is believed to be less likely to cause sensitivities or allergic reactions than the latter; Stellar is currently the only company in Canada to provide a natural linear molecular hyaluronate product in both a single-dose and three-dose injectable format.
“We are proud to be able to work with Stellar and to apply our expertise to support them in meeting their strategic objectives,” said Thomas Wellner, President and CEO of Therapure. “We have substantial experience with filling and finishing a variety of pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical products in different formats. Working closely with Stellar Pharmaceuticals has allowed us to rapidly assess their needs and propose a cost effective solution.”
“Over the past several quarters, awareness and acceptance of NeoVisc by scientists and clinicians around the world has steadily grown, and sales traction in Canada has continued to build,” said Peter Riehl, Stellar's President and Chief Executive Officer. “Meeting this growing demand is paramount for Stellar and getting NeoVisc to domestic and international markets quickly and efficiently is critical to the achievement of our long-term goals. This agreement with Therapure provides us with a cost-effective, local solution to our fill/finish challenge for both today and the future.”
About Therapure Biopharma Inc.
Therapure is a privately held, integrated biopharmaceutical company that develops, manufactures, purifies, and packages therapeutic proteins. As a contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) Therapure applies scientific, manufacturing, and downstream purification expertise with an intimate understanding of advanced biology, complex proteins, and regulatory processes to develop effective and innovative solutions to advance products from discovery to market.
For more information, visit www.therapurebio.com
About Stellar Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Stellar has developed and is marketing directly in Canada, and in countries around the world through out-license agreements, three products based on its core polysaccharide technology: NeoVisc and NeoVisc Single Dose, for the symptomatic treatment of osteoarthritis; and Uracyst its patented technology for the treatment of interstitial cystitis (IC)/painful bladder syndrome, an inflammatory disease of the urinary bladder wall. Stellar also has an in-licensing agreement for NMP22 BladderChek, a proteomics-based diagnostic test for the diagnosis and monitoring of bladder cancer.
For more information, visit www.stellarpharma.com.
SOURCE: Therapure Biopharma Inc.