The Swedish company is now looking for strategic partnerships for
various biomaterial applications plus investment into the company.
The technique makes it possible to systematically find the drug-carrier polymers with the optimal release profile, low inflammatory response and low blood coagulation response.
“Civo’s methodology could cut development costs, decrease the time to market, increase safety, reduce mortality among patients and allows biomaterial manufacturers to extend their patent protection through new, refined patents,” said Andreas Olsson, Civo’s CEO. “One of the major advantages with an optimised release is that the risks of side effects are greatly reduced, which substantially improves treatment.”
Drug eluting biomaterials allow for the controlled release of active drugs and are used for example to prevent the coronary artery from gradually narrowing again after a balloon angioplasty.
The use of drug-bearing polymers in implantable devices is now one of the fastest growing market sectors of the drug delivery market, Olsson said . One of the most widespread applications is the drug-eluting stent, a $5 billion market in 2005. The global market for these products is expected to reach $8 billion in 2010.
Civo has received financial support from ALMI, Innovationsbron Väst and is one of the projects that has attracted capital from Biomedicin i Väst.
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