- The company provides technologies for next generation's medicinal products
LONDON, April 27, 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Based on its recent analysis of the biotechnology industry, Frost & Sullivan recognizes LEUKOCARE with the 2011 Europe Frost & Sullivan Award for Early Stage Investment Opportunity. LEUKOCARE is a leading provider of technologies for biological functionalization of medical devices, as well as the stabilization and protection of proteins and biological molecules in biopharmaceutical formulations in order to ensure safety, to extend shelf-life and to enable terminal sterilization. The enabling technology platform branded as Stabilizing and Protecting Solution (SPS®) is offered to industrial partners in license-based development collaborations. LEUKOCARE's IP is protected by patents in various patent families. The company has implemented a quality management system for its services in design, development, manufacturing and distribution of technologies and products.
LEUKOCARE's SPS technology increases the value of biopharmaceutical products and diagnostics: Numerous proteins and other biological molecules loose their pharmacological activity when exposed to physical or chemical stress, LEUKOCARE's SPS excipient platform increases shelf-life by protecting the structure of these fragile molecules. This way, cold chain distribution of vaccines can be avoided and sterilization by irradiation is tolerated without loss of function.
LEUKOCARE positions itself as one of the few companies that combines biologics with medical devices. It offers R&D services during early planning and design (identifying pathways and effector molecules), prototyping and product development.
"The company has successfully designed, developed and clinically tested a biologic-combination device with therapeutic impact on the immune system," said Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Janani Sankaran. "LEUKOCARE currently partners with a significant number of biopharmaceutical companies to implement it's technologies in next generation's products."
LEUKOCARE has had a remarkable funding history with the German state-owned bank KfW, which invested through its equity-program 'ERP-Startfonds' in 2006. More recently, in November 2010, it received another round of funding worth $2.0 million. The company's experienced management has been one of the chief reasons for the company's ability to attract investments.
"LEUKOCARE's business model is hybrid; it is a combination of fee for service and licensing where royalties are paid," noted Sankaran. "Although LEUKOCARE's value proposition is comparable, its IP is distinct because of clearly distinguishable molecules."
The company charges a licensing fee, which is approximately 1-5 per cent of its net sales. It saves 50 per cent of the logistics costs, which is split equally between the pharmaceutical company and LEUKOCARE. Its SPS technology can enable a 20 per cent savings on production costs for biopharmaceuticals and up to 75 per cent on production costs of biologic-device combination products.
"LEUKOCARE creates awareness of its technology-based platform by presenting at scientific conferences, identifying key opinion leaders and convincing them about the cost savings and safety benefits of its products," remarked Sankaran. "It also partners with early-stage companies to reduce regulatory costs and with late stage companies to extend its solutions' patent life by introducing novel drugs/molecules."
Currently, almost 100 per cent of LEUKOCARE's sales is generated by North America and the European Union. In five years, with improved awareness, LEUKOCARE aims to account for at least 5 per cent of the total market.
Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents this award to the company that demonstrates strength of intellectual property, expertise in team management and innovation in product differentiation strategies.
Frost & Sullivan Best Practices awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis and extensive secondary research to identify best practices in the industry.
About LEUKOCARE
LEUKOCARE is a leading provider of technologies for biological functionalization of medical devices, as well as the stabilization and protection of proteins and biological molecules in biopharmaceutical formulations in order to ensure safety, to extend shelf-life and to enable terminal sterilization.
As a product-focused biotechnology company, LEUKOCARE uses its proprietary Stabilizing and Protecting Solutions (SPS) to leverage its comprehensive expertise in industrial co-development partnerships. The company offers its know-how in formulation of biologics, biofunctional coatings of combination devices and product development.
LEUKOCARE was founded in 2003 and is headquartered in Martinsried near Munich, Germany. For further information, please visit www.LEUKOCARE.com.
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