11 Sep 2008 13:27
For immediate release: 11 September 2008
Imperial Innovations Group plc ("Imperial Innovations" or the "Company") Portfolio Company Positive Phase II Allergy Clinical Study Results
Imperial Innovations Group plc (AIM: IVO), a leading technology transfer and commercialisation company, announces positive Phase II Clinical Study results from its portfolio company Circassia Ltd.
Circassia Ltd, a specialty biopharmaceutical company focused on controlling immune system responses, has generated positive results from a phase II clinical study of its anti-allergy technology, ToleroMune‚®, in the field of cat allergy. The trial showed that ToleroMune treatment can substantially reduce allergic reactions to the allergen that causes most cat allergies, and importantly was well tolerated by all patients.
Circassia conducted the double-blind study in Germany, where patients with a confirmed history of cat allergies received a single dose of ToleroMune therapy or placebo. The 88 study participants were divided into groups, with each receiving a different dose, either via subcutaneous or intradermal injection to compare the two routes of administration. To test the effect of the treatment, patients received a microscopic dose of cat dander (the main allergen responsible for cat allergies) into their skin several weeks later. Patients who received ToleroMune therapy via the most effective administration route had markedly reduced skin reactions to the cat allergen at all of the five dose levels tested compared with placebo. The most effective dose reduced reactions by over 40%, compared with 10% for placebo. Throughout the study the ToleroMune treatment proved well tolerated, with no serious or severe adverse events experienced in any of the groups, despite the steadily increasing doses.
Circassia's anti-allergy products would have significant market opportunities. Currently, over 150 million people suffer from allergic rhinitis in the US and Europe and the market for current treatments, despite their limitations, is approximately $12 billion per year. The prevalence of cat-dander allergy is high, with 1-in-6 Americans and nearly 10% of Europeans suffering from the condition. Existing treatments have a number of issues, either providing symptomatic relief only or requiring lengthy supervision by specialist physicians. In contrast, Circassia's ToleroMune technology has the potential to rapidly desensitize sufferers using extremely small sections of allergens (termed T-cell epitopes), which minimizes the potential for adverse reactions.
Susan Searle, Chief Executive, Imperial Innovations, commented,
"This is a highly encouraging development for Circassia, in which Innovations has a 13% shareholding, and an exciting signal of their long term prospects."
For Imperial Innovations enquiries please contact:
Imperial Innovations
Susan Searle (Chief Executive Officer)
+44 (0)20 7594 6591
Lucy Ahfong (Marketing and Communications Executive)
+44 (0)20 7594 6644JPMorgan Cazenove(Nominated Adviser)Steve Baldwin+44 (0)20 7588 2828M:CommunicationsBen Simons or Harriet Totty+44 (0)20 7153 1540
For Circassia enquiries please contact:
Steve HarrisCEO of Circassia+44 (0)1865 784574Rob BudgeRJB Communications+44 (0)1865 760969+44 (0)7710 741241About Imperial Innovations
Imperial Innovations is one of the UK's leading technology transfer and commercialisation companies. The company was founded in 1986 and its ordinary shares admitted to trading on the AIM Market of London Stock Exchange plc in July 2006, raising ‚£25 million at an offer price of 365p and ‚£1 million by means of a public offer. In November 2007, the company raised a further ‚£30 million by means of a placing of new ordinary shares with investors.
The company's integrated approach encompasses the identification of ideas, protection of intellectual property, development and licensing of technology and formation, incubation and investment in technology businesses. A wide range of technologies are commercialised within the areas of Healthcare, Energy & Environment, Engineering and Software & IT.
As at the close of its last financial year in July 2007, the company - based at Imperial College London - had established equity holdings in 74 technology businesses and was managing 133 commercial agreements. Imperial Innovations also commercialises technologies originating from outside Imperial College through incubation contracts with the Carbon Trust and WRAP and has commercialisation contracts with a number of multinational corporations.
www.imperialinnovations.co.uk
About Circassia
Circassia is a specialty biopharmaceutical company focused on developing medicines designed to control immune system responses. The company has a highly experienced management team with a proven track record in product development and commercialization, and having successfully completed two fundraising rounds is backed by a syndicate of world-class venture capital and institutional investors, including Imperial Innovations, Lansdowne Partners, Goldman Sachs and Invesco Perpetual.
Circassia's lead products target allergies utilizing the company's proprietary T-cell epitope desensitization technology, ToleroMune. The company is also developing its ToleroTrans organ anti-rejection technology, which uses a similar approach to down-regulate immune responses in transplant patients.
For more information please visit www.circassia.co.uk.
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