infirst HEALTHCARE Established to Launch Novel Consumer Medicines

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• Publié par: infirst-healthcare
• Nombre de lectures: 22
• Langue: English

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infirst HEALTHCARE Established to Launch

Novel Consumer Medicines

PR Newswire

LONDON, July 9, 2012

LONDON

,

July 9, 2012

/PRNewswire/ --

Cocoa-flavoured cough medicine will be first product to market

A consumer healthcare company,

infirst HEALTHCARE

, has today been

established to launch and commercialise new, fast-to-market consumer

medicines which bring a novel approach to a market where there has been

little new innovation in decades. The new medicines utilize

infirst's

intellectual

property to improve safe and well-established drugs and the first products will

be launched in the indications of cough & cold and pain. These two indications

represent the most prevalent health conditions and the two largest segments of

the global OTC market.

infirst HEALTHCARE

will be led by Manfred Scheske, who was previously

President of GlaxoSmithKline's

USD 3 billion

European Consumer Healthcare

business. The new company has already signed a licence agreement with a key

strategic partner in the US, for which it has received a

USD 5 million

upfront

payment, with further near term milestones and royalties to be earned from

product sales.

infirst HEALTHCARE

is a spin-out of the UK drug discovery group,

SEEK.

infirst HEALTHCARE's

most advanced product in development is a cocoa-

flavoured medicine for the treatment of cough & cold, which is expected to be

launched in time for the winter flu season in Q4 2013 by

infirst's

partner in the

US and thereafter by

infirst

itself in

Europe

. Next in line behind the cough

medicine is an ibuprofen-based, healthy plant oil infused product for the

treatment of inflammatory pain.

Cough affects over 800 million patients worldwide, with an estimated 12% of

the general population (7.5 million in the UK), experiencing the symptoms on a

regular basis. Market surveys of the cough & cold market conducted by

infirst

HEALTHCARE

have indicated that there is huge demand for a natural,

flavoursome product (cocoa) which can be combined with a medicinal product

(cough liquid) to provide a more pleasant and comforting experience for the

patient.

In addition to its cough & cold and pain products,

infirst HEALTHCARE

is

developing a broad portfolio of improved and fast-to-market drugs (adding

natural ingredients to safe and well-established drugs). These medicines have a

rapid regulatory path to market as their indication, dose, regime and label

remain unchanged.

The marketing strategy to be employed by

infirst HEALTHCARE

will be similar to

that used by some of the largest consumer health brands such as Sensodyne®

and Tylenol®. These brands were built on the endorsement of healthcare

professionals and on effective symptom relief, leading to patient preference

(PEPP - professionally endorsed, patient preferred.)

Commenting on today's announcement, Manfred Scheske, CEO

of

infirst HEALTHCARE

, said:

"We have talked to many healthcare practitioners who have confirmed the

need for new, improved options for the treatment of cough and pain that are

safe and cost-effective. Feedback from consumer research has also

overwhelmingly confirmed the need for new products that have natural

ingredients, such as cocoa, that can be combined with existing safe medicines

to deliver an enhanced outcome for the patient.

infirst HEALTHCARE's

products

will bring novel solutions to the most prevalent conditions such as cough and

pain and I am very excited that we are in a position to deliver these products to

consumer healthcare markets around the world."

Commenting on today's announcement, Gregory Stoloff, CEO of SEEK

group,

infirst HEALTHCARE's

parent company, said:

"With ageing populations and stressed healthcare budgets, markets

everywhere are in need of safe and affordable and fast-to-market medicines

which can deliver a better outcome for patients.

infirst HEALTHCARE

's new

approach to well-known medicines will meet this market need. Manfred

Scheske's background, with multi-geographical experience and his long and

impressive track record including leadership of GlaxoSmithKline's consumer

healthcare businesses in

Europe

and the US, makes him an ideal CEO for this

new enterprise."

About

infirst HEALTHCARE

infirst HEALTHCARE

is a new consumer healthcare company focused on

improving well established drugs with IP protected solutions for the

OTC/Primary care market which can be launched within 12-36 months.

infirst

HEALTHCARE

is a spin-out from SEEK, a UK privately-owned drug discovery

group which uses its intellectual property to create breakthrough medicines

addressing major diseases, bringing radical improvements to human health.

About Manfred Scheske

Manfred Scheske joined the Executive Team of SEEK in

October 2010

. At SEEK

he was responsible for SEEK's small molecule portfolio, now incorporated in

infirst HEALTHCARE

, and became CEO of

infirst

on its formation in 2012.

Prior to joining SEEK, Manfred was President of GSK's

USD 3 billion

European

Consumer Healthcare business (including brands such as

alli, Aquafresh,

Beechams, Corsodyl, Lucozade, Niquitin, Panadol. Piriton, Poligrip, Ribena,

Sensodyne, Solpadeine, Zantac and Zovirax

) from 2004 to 2010 and also spent

six years as President of GSK's Consumer Healthcare business in

North

America

.

About SEEK

Founded in 2004, SEEK (previously known as PepTcell) is privately-owned and

funded, with headquarters in

London, UK

. Using a pioneering scientific and

commercially-driven approach, SEEK aims to create breakthrough medicines

which address major diseases in order to radically improve human health.

SEEK's strategy is to take promising molecules through the challenging stages

of discovery to late-stage human proof-of-principle and then to seek partners

to take the molecules through the final stages of development and ultimately

commercialisation.

Additional information about SEEK and

infirst HEALTHCARE

is available on the

Company's website located at http://www.seekacure.com

About Cough

More common than heartburn and severe headaches, cough imposes a great

burden on the sufferer, their families, and society. Afflicting over 800 million

worldwide, with an estimated 12% of the general population (7.5 million in the

UK), experiencing the symptom on a regular basis. In the

USA

forty million

households turn to OTC medicines each year to relieve their cough

symptoms. Cough leads patients to use "over the counter" remedies as first-line

treatments, where annual sales in the

USA

exceed

$2 billion dollars

.

For more information please contact:

Manfred Scheske, CEO,

infirst HEALTHCARE,

Tel [phone]

M:Communications, Mary Clark / Amber Bielecka / Hollie Vile, Tel +44(0)20-

7920-2330, [e-mail]