ORPHELIA Pharma and Veriton Pharma execute a license and distribution agreement for Kigabeq® in the United Kingdom Paris/Lyon and Weybridge, October 29th, 2019 – ORPHELIA Pharma, a French biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development and marketing of pediatric drugs in the fields of oncology and neurology, announces today that it has entered into a license and distribution agreement with Veriton Pharma to market Kigabeq® in the United Kingdom. Kigabeq® is the first pediatric formulation of vigabatrin, an essential antiepileptic drug, available as scored 100 mg and 500 mg soluble tablets for oral and (naso)gastric administration. Kigabeq® has been developed exclusively for children aged between 1 month and 6 years and was granted a Paediatric Use Marketing Authorization (PUMA) in September 2018. Kigabeq® is indicated in the first-line treatment for infantile spasms, an extremely severe early childhood encephalopathic epilepsy. « As a renowned specialist in the treatment of epilepsy, Veriton Pharma is an outstanding partner for Kigabeq® in the United Kingdom » comments Hugues Bienaymé, founder and General Manager of ORPHELIA Pharma. « After Germany, the UK is the second country where Kigabeq® will be offered to patients. We are now actively preparing launch of Kigabeq® in France and in other European countries with dedicated distribution partners. This new agreement confirms the continued attractiveness for Kigabeq® in Europe ». « At Veriton Pharma, we are dedicated to providing tailored therapy options for people with special medical needs. We are excited to be the exclusive partner working alongside ORPHELIA in the UK and this collaboration aligns with Veriton’s core strategy to continuously deliver products to help support UK healthcare.», says Chris Grimes, Chief Commercial Officer of Veriton. « This agreement with Veriton Pharma is an important step forward for Kigabeq®, our first product to receive EU approval and to reach the market. Kigabeq® addresses a significant unmet medical need in a rare and potentially devastating form of epilepsy and it aims at improving the life of children affected by this condition » adds Gilles Alberici, Chairman of ORPHELIA Pharma. About infantile spasms West Syndrome, or infantile spasms, is an early childhood epileptic encephalopathy which combines axial spasms in cluster, a marked psychomotor retardation and an hypsarrhythmic electroencephalogram. It is a rare disease with an estimated incidence of around 5 per 10,000 living births. It affects infants whose development was normal or children with impaired cognitive development prior to spasms. Children with infantile spasms must […]
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ORPHELIA Pharma will be present in Paris on November, 5th and 6th, for the Rare Diseases Meeting Days. This event is organized by the French Foundation for Rare Diseases every other year, and allows to assist during two days to plenary conferences and scientific round tables on current topics, poster presentations and meetings with researchers, meeting with companies and stakeholders of the sector.   The organizing committee of the Foundation selected ORPHELIA’s poster entitled “Multicentre retrospective study of temozolomide use in paediatric refractory or relapsed neuroblastoma : Results from analysis of data from French centres”, to be presented during the Rare Diseases Meeting Days. Do not hesitate to contact us in order to meet at this occasion (hugues.bienayme@orphelia-pharma.eu).
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ORPHELIA Pharma will be present in Lyon on October, 23th to 26th, for the annual SIOP Congress (the 51st Congress of the International Society for Paediatric Oncology). This event aims to bring together the oncology community and share latest advances in paediatric oncology. Do not hesitate to contact us in order to meet at this occasion (jeremy.bastid@orphelia-pharma.eu).
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ORPHELIA announces the appointment of Dr. Caroline Lemarchand as Chief Pharmaceutical Development Officer Paris and Lyon, October 15th 2019 – ORPHELIA Pharma, a French biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development and marketing of paediatric drugs in the fields of oncology and neurology, announces the appointment of Dr. Caroline Lemarchand as Chief Pharmaceutical Development Officer, effective September 16, 2019. Caroline Lemarchand, PharmD, PhD, will bring to ORPHELIA Pharma her expertise in pharmaceutical development, acquired during a 20-year career in pharma and biotech companies. Caroline was successively working at Onxeo (formerly Bioalliance Pharma) as preclinical and pharmaceutical development Director before joining Stallergenes Greer as pharmaceutical development Director. Caroline Lemarchand contributed to the development, registration and marketing of several drugs (innovative technologies, new chemical entities, biotherapy), especially in the field of oncology, both in Europe and in the United States. She authored numerous peer-reviewed scientific publications and patents. « We are particularly pleased to welcome Caroline at ORPHELIA Pharma » comments Hugues Bienaymé, Founder and General Manager at ORPHELIA Pharma. « Her deep knowledge of pharmaceutical development and impressive track-record will be a significant asset for a company like ORPHELIA Pharma, which focuses on life-threatening paediatric conditions. Caroline will be instrumental in managing our collaborative partnerships to assemble a portfolio of essential drugs for children ».  « I am excited to be joining ORPHELIA Pharma at this important inflection point with already 2 products approved and several collaborative projects running », says Caroline Lemarchand. « The company is in a privileged position to build a portfolio of drugs for the paediatric community, both in neurology and oncology. Since there are many collaborations already in place, I look forward to leading these partnerships and setting up some new projects ». About ORPHELIA Pharma ORPHELIA Pharma is a biopharmaceutical company based in Paris and Lyon that develops and markets drugs for the treatment of rare and serious paediatric diseases. Our mission is to provide patients with essential hospital products in the fields of epilepsy and oncology with formulations adapted to the paediatric population. Our first product, Kigabeq®, obtained its Marketing Authorization in October 2018 and has been launched in Europe. Our second product, Ivozall®, received a positive opinion from the CHMP in September 2019 recommending the issuance of a European marketing authorization. ORPHELIA Pharma also conducts research projects through academic and industrial collaborations. The main investors are initiative OCTALFA and Pierre Fabre Medicament.
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