Today, Grifols SA announced that it has reached an agreement with the Swedish company Pharmalink AB to acquire various forms of intellectual property (IP) associated with the treatment of post-polio syndrome (PPS). The acquisition is expected to be finalized in the next few weeks and will include documentation, know-how, and Swedish regulatory approvals under the trade name Xepol. Furthermore, Grifols also acquires U.S., European and Japanese patents for a specific PPS treatment method utilizing human immunoglobulin and unrestricted use of existing Pharmalink clinical trial data supporting the treatment method.
Acquisition of the PPS drug development project creates new clinical research and therapeutic treatment areas for Grifols. "Exploring the treatment of PPS consistent with our mission of developing therapies for chronically ill and underserved patient populations," said Ramon Riera, Director of Global Sales and Marketing for Grifols. Currently there are no therapies approved for the treatment of PPS.
PPS is widely recognized as a rare disease and the U.S. FDA has granted orphan drug designation for the use of human immunoglobulin in the treatment of PPS. "The promise of research on potential treatments for post polio syndrome is welcomed by the thousands who experience its debilitating symptoms, and we hope that it is fulfilled," said Joan L. Headley, Executive Director of St. Louis, Missouri based Post-Polio Health International (PHI), the leading organization working to enhance the lives and independence of polio survivors. "It has been challenging to find treatments for this condition. We are pleased that Grifols is investing in the PPS community," Headley added.
Previous clinical trials on the use of human immunoglobulin for the treatment of PPS have been sponsored by Pharmalink using Grifols' proprietary intravenous immunoglobulin. Grifols' acquisition of the Pharmalink PPS project will give Grifols unrestricted use of those data and set the stage for Grifols to investigate clinically relevant research questions growing out of prior studies.
The acquisition also includes U.S., European and Japanese patents which will effectively give Grifols exclusive rights to the treatment method.
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