Athera and Richter-Helm join forces against cardiovascular disease

Collaboration agreed

Athera Biotechnologies, based in Karolinska Institutet Science Park in Stockholm with investors including Karolinska Development, has signed an agreement with Richter-Helm BioLogics of Germany to develop and manufacture Athera’s novel product for prevention of plaque rupture and athero-thrombosis through binding of the recombinant protein annexin A5 to endothelium. The protein is intended for the treatment of patients with acute coronary syndrome and who are at imminent risk for myocardial infarction.

The partners say the agreement secures a cost-effective long-term development and manufacturing plan for Athera, including possible future large volume commercial production. Annexin A5 is a biotechnology product produced using Richter-Helm’s proprietary E. coli-based expression system. Richter-Helm will initiate strain and process development of the new process, reaching a 1000-litre production scale.

“The Annexin A5 project fits well with the competence and experience of our company. We are confident that our collaboration will be as efficient and constructive as our negotiations were. Our state-of-the-art facilities are ideal for producing the high-quality annexin A5 required to comply with the standards of the regulatory agencies,” said Bert Behnke, managing director of Richter-Helm.

“We are very pleased to get Richter-Helm as our development partner, they have an excellent reputation. We have now secured cost competitive and high quality production for clinical and commercial use,” said Carina Schmidt, CEO of Athera Biotechnologies.