Vectura acquires rights to a novel Dry Powder Inhaler device
11 Feb 2002
Vectura acquires rights to a novel Dry Powder Inhaler device
Cambridge Consultants Ltd (CCL) and Vectura Limited (Vectura) have today announced the merger of CCL's Aspirair™ technology and development team with Vectura's existing drug delivery business. Aspirair™ is a world-beating inhaler technology developed by CCL over the past three years capable of highly efficient delivery of drugs to the bloodstream via the lung, providing a potential alternative to injection.
By combining device and formulation capabilities, Vectura aims to become the leading provider of integrated drug delivery solutions to the worldwide pharmaceutical industry. In a deal that envisages future collaboration between the parties, CCL will acquire a stake in Vectura and a seat on the Vectura board.The Aspirair™ device is capable of consistently delivering over 80% of a dry powder dose to the deep lung to provide both effective local treatment and systemic delivery into the bloodstream via the lung. A recent study of competing technologies suggests that the new device delivers between 10%-20% more drug than any other device currently at the same stage of development. The device also benefits from being considerably smaller, simpler to use, and cheaper to manufacture than rival devices.
The high-performance efficiency of the Aspirair™ technology is expected to allow more effective clinical treatment for patients suffering from diseases of the lung such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cystic fibrosis, as well as systemic diseases such as diabetes, epilepsy and Parkinson's.
Stephen Eason, who led CCL's Aspirair™ team and now takes up the post of Director of Device Development at Vectura commented, "This new generation of device is not much bigger than a traditional asthma inhaler and offers a discrete, simple to use, alternative to injection. This will clearly have a very positive effect on the lives of many."
Under the agreement, the CCL team of five engineers and designers who worked on the Aspirair™ development will be integrated into all of Vectura's device development programmes. The device development team will remain in the Cambridge area, initially making use of CCL's incubator facility, and plans over the next 12 months to more than double the number of engineers, scientists and designers working in this part of the business.
"The integration of this technology and one of the best teams of medical device engineers is an excellent fit for us," said Professor John Staniforth, Chief Scientific Officer of Vectura. "Together with our cutting-edge expertise in particle science, we can make a significant step forward in delivering the next generation of drug delivery devices to pharmaceutical companies, and in turn, patients."
Vectura was founded by Merlin Biosciences in 1997. The company has enjoyed rapid growth, already establishing itself as a leading European provider of innovative drug formulations for pulmonary drug delivery. Vectura is focused on the application of its core expertise in particle science and engineering to the development of novel pharmaceutical formulations that satisfy previously unmet medical needs. As well as the treatment of COPD, the company is currently working on the ability to deliver proteins and peptides via inhalation rather than by injection. Vectura has entered into collaborative agreements with Chiesi, Innovata Biomed, Ranbaxy and Arakis.
CCL has developed many successful new companies over the past decade, a business model in which it firmly believes. In just the past three years CCL has created six new businesses, and remains committed to this tradition of business generation and incubation. Despite the planned transference of the Aspirair™ team to Vectura, CCL retains a strong capability in drug delivery covering inhalation, infusion and injection, an area of its business currently enjoying strong growth. The last two months alone has seen the company win two multi-million pound contracts from mainland Europe and West Coast America.For further information please contact:
Patrick Pordage
Marketing Communications Manager
Cambridge Consultants
Tel: +44 (0)1223 420024
Fax: +44 (0)1223 423373
patrick.pordage@camcon.co.uk
www.cambridgeconsultants.com
John Staniforth
Chief Scientific Officer
Vectura Limited
Tel: +44 (0)1249 667700
Fax: +44 (0)1249 667700
john.staniforth@vectura.com
Financial Dynamics
David Yates / Lucy Briggs
Tel: + 44 (0) 207 269 7242
