Grünenthal Presents New Search Fields at World's largest Biotechnology Partnering Conference

AACHEN, Germany, June 17, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

Grünenthal Group announces its newsearch fields for licensing and acquisition in R&D and for marketed assets at the 2014 BIO International Convention, the world's largest partnering event for the biotechnology industry. The family owned, mid-sized research driven pharmaceutical company headquartered in Aachen, Germany, will be sharing with the biotech community its new approach to M&A and licensing. Grünenthal, which invested in 2013 approximately 27 % of its revenues in R&D, will also unveil its new initiative, called the Innovative Medicines Unit (IMU), at the German BIO.NRW booth.  

This year's convention will take place in San Diego, USA, from June 23-26 and is hosted by the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO). Philipp von Gallwitz, CEO Grünenthal Inc., USA, will present Grünenthal's M&A and licensing strategy on June 24^th, at 10:45 am (Solana Beach presentation room). Grünenthal's Innovative Medicines Unit (IMU) can be visited at the BIO.NRW booth #4413, which is a representation of the innovation region in Germany's Western region of North Rhine Westphalia.

Search fields beyond pain 

"As a leading innovator in pain therapy, we have a very successful track record of global development and commercialization partnerships. Our NCE pipeline and INTAC^®, our abuse deterrent formulation technology platform, have generated high interest at last year's convention. We at Grünenthal are keen to build on these successful advances," says Prof. Dr. Eric-Paul Pâques, CEO and Chairman of the Corporate Executive Board, and adds: "Grünenthal is now broadening its acquisition and in-licensing activities beyond pain and is looking for assets in perioperative care, inflammation, neurology niches and cancer supportive care." The focus lies on projects which can undergo a fast development process and reach market still this decade.  

Grünenthal sustainably invests in research and development. Being one of the five research-oriented pharmaceutical companies with headquarters in Germany, Grünenthal invested approximately 27 percent of its 2013 revenues in R&D activities. In the US, Grünenthal's abuse deterrent formulation INTAC^® is already featured in FDA-approved products.

Grünenthal's new approach: The Innovative Medicines Unit 

The Innovative Medicines Unit (IMU) at Grünenthal is a new initiative that synergizes the innovative and entrepreneurial practices of biotech and the established capabilities of a successful mid-sized pharma company. It identifies new opportunities from the external innovation community, in late-stage discovery or early clinical development (pre-IND to late stage phase I), to achieve their commercial and medical value. Through an entrepreneurial and networked approach to R&D, the IMU will create "clusters" of licensed assets, networks and strategic partnerships. Therapeutic areas will follow as well Grünenthal's new corporate scope in addition to pain, i.e. perioperative care, inflammation, neurology niches and cancer supportive care.

"Having implemented the IMU at Grünenthal enables us to work more effectively alongside existing partnership and alliance activities. Successfully doing so enhances Grünenthal's position as the partner of choice and allows us to meet the significant medical challenges of the future", comments Dr. Klaus-Dieter Langner, Chief Scientific Officer at Grünenthal Group and member of the Corporate Executive Board.

Grünenthal is located at the centre of a world-class "Entrepreneurial Ecosystem", the region of North Rhine Westphalia, in the Western part of Germany. The region shows one of the highest density of research networks and non-university research centres in Europe. This will allow the IMU to exploit the research, business, cultural and economic strengths of the region.

About INTAC^® 

With its innovative abuse deterrent formulation technology platform, INTAC^®, Grünenthal is leading the field with already several FDA-approved opioid products utilizing this unique technology which confers outstanding crush resistance of drug matrix and raises hurdles against prescription drug abuse. Grünenthal considers INTAC^® to be the world-wide leading technology for tamper-resistant opioid products.

Grünenthal has expanded the INTAC^® platform beyond extended release formulations to immediate release as well as combination formulations. This allows Grünenthal to offer this technology now for a broader variety of drugs and abuse deterrent applications. More information: http://www.intac.grunenthal.com

About Grünenthal 

The Grünenthal Group is an independent, family-owned, international research-based pharmaceutical company headquartered in Aachen, Germany. Building on its unique position in pain treatment, its objective is to become the most patient-centric company in the field of pain and thus to be a leader in therapy innovation.

Grünenthal is one of the last five remaining research-oriented pharmaceutical companies with headquarters in Germany which sustainably invests in research and development. Research and development costs amounted to about 27 percent of revenues in 2013. Grünenthal's research and development strategy concentrates on selected fields of therapy and state-of-the-art technologies. We are intensely focused on discovering new ways to treat pain better and more effectively, with fewer side-effects than current therapies.

Altogether, the Grünenthal Group has affiliates in 25 countries worldwide. Grünenthal products are sold in more than 155 countries and approx. 5,500 employees are working for the Grünenthal Group worldwide. In 2013, Grünenthal achieved revenues of €901 mn.

More information: http://www.grunenthal.com .

Contact: Friederike Herrfurth, Senior Director Communications
Tel.: +49-241-569-1335, Fax: +49-241-569-3539, [email protected]

Grünenthal GmbH, 52099 Aachen, Germany, www.grunenthal.com  

SOURCE Grunenthal GmbH