Ferring Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Global Biopharmaceutical Leader in Peptide Research Expands Commitment in San Diego/U.S. With New R&D Facility and Ready-To-Market Prostate Cancer Treatment Degarelix
Ferring Pharmaceuticals and Ferring Research Institute Introduce New Research Base and First Molecule Discovered by the Company in San Diego
SAN DIEGO, Feb. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading global biopharmaceutical company, Ferring Pharmaceuticals, and its affiliate Ferring Research Institute have opened a new and expanded, 38,000-square-foot facility located in Sorrento Valley, San Diego that will be dedicated to further development of peptide research and therapeutics.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090211/LA63509)
The new facility was introduced at an event yesterday attended by global executives and top U.S. academic and research collaborators. They included: Nobel Laureate and Interim President for The Salk Institute, Professor Roger Guillemin; Chair and Professor of Medicine, Department of Medicine at Columbia University, Professor Donald Landry; Dean and Professor of Physiology and Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine, Professor Michael Rosenblatt; representatives from the City of San Diego; and, members of the local biotech community.
The occasion also marked recognition for the recent approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of degarelix, a new prostate cancer drug for the treatment of patients with advanced hormone-dependent prostate cancer. Degarelix is the first peptide new chemical entity (NCE) discovered by Ferring Research Institute in San Diego and developed globally by Ferring Pharmaceuticals. Ferring is preparing to launch degarelix in the U.S. in the first quarter of 2009.
Ferring is a privately held global biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and marketing of biologics, peptides and proteins. The company's research is dedicated to three core therapeutic areas--Infertility, Urology and Gastroenterology. Since the 1950s, the company has pioneered the research, development and marketing of pharmaceutical products based on natural, hypothalamus and pituitary-based peptide hormones.
Headquartered in Switzerland, Ferring has commercial subsidiaries in over 45 countries and its products are available in more than 70 countries. The company's R&D centers are located in: Saint-Prex (Switzerland), San Diego and Parsippany (U.S.), Copenhagen (Denmark), Mumbai (India) and Beer Tuvia (Israel).
Speaking at the opening of the new R&D facility, Chairman Frederik Paulsen (son of the company's founder Dr. Frederik Paulsen) said: "Historically, Ferring is one of the first pharmaceutical companies to have embarked upon peptide research. It is an integral part of our heritage and it is part of our vision today that our Research Institute in San Diego will take this heritage into the future.
"The most pertinent example of the strength and promise of peptide therapy is our new prostate cancer treatment, degarelix. The research towards degarelix occurred in San Diego with our institute and academic research partners. The molecule was ultimately discovered by Ferring Research Institute San Diego," Chairman Paulsen said.
Ferring Research Institute Managing Director and Vice President-Research Pierre Riviere added, "We're excited about the future of Ferring on the West Coast and in the U.S. with the expanded facility and the approval to launch degarelix. Since first establishing our presence in San Diego in 1996, we've maintained our focus on peptide research excellence so that we can become an integral part of the Southern California biotech community. We're very committed to the region as it continues to offer access to great scientific talent, top academic institutions, and world-class research - all of which offer opportunities for our organization, the industry and those who can benefit from our therapies."
Ferring Research Institute's translational research model--which involves collaboration with top academic and researchers from throughout the U.S. and globally--has resulted in the discovery of a number of new chemical entities now at various stages of regulatory review and clinical development.
The new San Diego research facility now houses expanded research laboratories for peptide medicinal chemistry, bioanalytical and DMPK (distribution, metabolism and Pharmacokinetics), molecular and cell biology, cell culture, in vitro and in vivo pharmacology.
About Ferring Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Ferring Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a subsidiary of Ferring Pharmaceuticals, a privately owned, international pharmaceutical company. Ferring Pharmaceuticals offers a line of urology, orthopaedic and infertility products in the U.S. market. They include: EUFLEXXA(R), (1% sodium hyaluronic acid), BRAVELLE(R) (urofollitropin for injection, purified), MENOPUR(R) and REPRONEX(R) (menotropins for injection, USP), NOVAREL(R) (chorionic gonadotropin for injection, USP), ENDOMETRIN(R) (progesterone) Vaginal Insert, ACTHREL(R) (corticorelin ovine triflutate for injection), PROSED(R) DS (methenamine, phenyl salicylate, methylene blue, benzoic acid, hyoscyamine sulfate), and DESMOPRESSIN. Ferring Pharmaceuticals specializes in the research, development and commercialization of compounds in general and pediatric endocrinology, urology, orthopaedics, gastroenterology, obstetrics/gynecology and infertility. More information is available at www.ferring.com.
About Ferring Research Institute, Inc.
Ferring Research Institute, Inc. was founded in 1996 by Ferring Pharmaceuticals as a center for peptide research. Located in San Diego the Institute's peptide technology focuses on naturally-occurring peptides, hormones and receptors which control the body's major biological functions and physio-pathological processes. The most advanced peptide discovered by Ferring Research Institute, degarelix--an innovative treatment for prostate cancer, was recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and will be launched in Q1 of 2009 in the U.S. Other peptides discovered by Ferring Research Institute include: barusiban (FE 200440), an oxytocin receptor antagonist; FE 202158, a selective V1a receptor agonist; FE 200665 (a.k.a. CR665), a first generation peripherally-selective kappa opioid receptor agonist; FE 202845 (a.k.a. CR845), a second generation. Long-acting peripherally-selective kappa opioid receptor agonist; and FE 202767, a selective oxytocin receptor agonist. More information is available at www.ferring-research.com.
CONTACT: U.S., Della Sweetman, della.sweetman@fleishman.com, or Jamie
Leicht, jamiemarie.leicht@fleishman.com, both of Fleishman-Hillard,
+1-619-237-7700, for Ferring Pharmaceuticals; or Global, Helen Gallagher,
helen.gallagher@ferring.com, or Michael George, michael.george@ferring.com,
both of Ferring Pharmaceuticals
Web site: http://www.ferring.com/