News Feature | June 10, 2014

Biotech Firms Launch KPI Therapeutics Consortium For Drug Development

By Cyndi Root

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A group of five biotech firms, KPI Therapeutics, announced in a press release that it has created a “new paradigm” to develop drugs. The five firms launched the new entity to advance high-impact, novel drugs with unmet needs. Members are MPI Research, Chimera Biotec, Life Chemicals, Medical Marketing Economics (MME), and Kineta. Also included in the group are private equity investors with the funding to begin KPI operations.

Charles Magness, President and CEO of Kineta and KPI Board Chairman, said, “KPI is designed to bring the capabilities of world-class drug development players and investors into a collaborative alignment where all patients, partners, and investors can benefit.”

KPI Therapeutics

KPI states that it has a unique business model, which will enable the consortium to speed drugs through development. Additionally, the group invested in the new business because it will “improve investor outcomes over traditional industry models.” KPI intends to focus first on Kineta’s drug pipeline. KPI’s and Kineta’s lead drug is ShK-186, an immune-sparing therapeutic, recently tested in Phase 1b trials. Investigators are considering the agent for use in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and psoriasis, as well as other autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, and asthma. Other KPI drugs include compounds for pain relief and antiviral therapies. KPI currently has five members in its development and funding consortium.

  • Kineta is based in Seattle and focuses on clinical advancement of novel drug candidates. 
  • Chimera Biotec is a German company that offers ligand-binding assay development and sample analysis based on its proprietary Imperacer (Immuno-PCR) technology.
  • Life Chemicals was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Ontario, Canada. The company focuses on early stage small molecule drug discovery.
  • MPI Research from Mattawan, Michigan, provides early clinical services and solutions to the biopharmaceutical industry.
  • Medical Marketing Economics (MME) is a market access and reimbursement company with clients worldwide. 

With these five companies and investment funding, KPI is positioning itself within an industry environment that is reducing R&D efforts. The company states that the pharmaceutical industry should consider this model because approving 20 or 30 new drugs a year is not enough. Additionally, by partnering with other entities, KPI states that it becomes a self-sustaining company that gains revenue from mutual investments.