Ann Arbor biotech firm believes cholesterol drug could top billions in sales
A biotech firm with dual headquarters in Ann Arbor and France believes that one of the drugs it's developing could be worth $5 billion to $8 billion in annual sales, Bloomberg reports.
Cerenis Therapeutics, which last year received the largest venture capital investment in Michigan in nearly four years, told the news agency that its drug could reach the market by 2017.
Cerenis Therapeutics chief scientific officer Narendra Lalwani (left) and chief operating officer Bill Brinkerhoff lead the company's Ann Arbor office.
File photo | AnnArbor.com
The treatment, currently known as CER-001, would mimic high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, the so-called "good" cholesterol that helps eliminate arterial plaque and reduce a patient's chances of cardiovascular disease.
"This could change the paradigm for the treatment of atherosclerosis,” Jean-Claude Tardif, director of the research center at the Montreal Heart Institute and lead investigator for the drug's current clinical work, told Bloomberg.
Biotech firms are known for bold statements that often aren't grounded in the grueling reality of the drug development process, which can take up to 20 years and $1 billion in funds.
But Cerenis' claims take on a sense of legitimacy because of the massive amounts of capital the firm has compiled and the fact that the firm is already attracting interest from major pharmaceutical firms.
Contact AnnArbor.com's Nathan Bomey at (734) 623-2587 or nathanbomey@annarbor.com. You can also follow him on Twitter or subscribe to AnnArbor.com's newsletters.
Comments
sig.melvin
Sat, Apr 9, 2011 : 5:05 p.m.
Yes you can bring down your cholestral without drugs..4 four weeks without and animal product ,check it out pritikin diet or go to there wellness Clinic in hawaii. miami and in Santa monica ..four weeks and your chalestreal is down to 100 plus your age = ...NO animal product or by product. check it out on the web.
81wolverine
Fri, Apr 8, 2011 : 5:07 p.m.
When will the medical industry and its related drug industrial complex stop chasing its tail by pursuing the cholesterol myth? Heart disease has never been about cholesterol. It was easy to blame and served its purpose by allowing the creation of a multi-billion dollar industry that solves no health problems for anyone. And that's not even getting into the dangerous side effects caused by cholesterol-lowering drugs - liver damage, reduction of muscle function due to lowering of coenzyme-q10, and a laundry list of other issues. Inflammation of the arterial wall has always been the cause of heart disease, and leads to plaque buildup among other problems. If one of these firms solves THAT problem, then I might get a little excited.
Paul Adams
Mon, Apr 11, 2011 : 1:26 p.m.
Increasing HDL-C has been linked to decreasing plaque volume in the arteries - look up ApoA-I Milano.
Theo212
Fri, Apr 8, 2011 : 6:48 p.m.
You meant coenzyme-q9.
whatsupwithMI
Fri, Apr 8, 2011 : 4:54 p.m.
Those poking fun (I think) at the earlier "fat CEOs plunder and leave" threads in comment took the wrong point home. The point wasn't so much that companies get bought out and move; that happens all the time. Whether the company takes care of their employees in the buyout is up to the employer. There are happy local examples in the past, other more recent buyouts were perhaps not so great for the employees. The blog caught flak when commenters provided feedback that rewards were being overstated. This is a nice summary article, _sans_ hype. I also like it that the linked Bloomberg article leads with "Desperate drugmakers..."
Madhatter
Fri, Apr 8, 2011 : 3:42 p.m.
Those "FAT CAT" CEOs are responsible for creating jobs. How many jobs have you created? I work for a large corporation that pays me well and provides me with excellent benefits. How well would a poor person pay me? When was the last time you heard someone say, "I want to work for a poor person."
Ca$h
Fri, Apr 8, 2011 : 3:36 p.m.
Just another FAT-CAT looking to make millions off the people of this great country! I blame rick snyder for bringing them in.
Madhatter
Fri, Apr 8, 2011 : 3:44 p.m.
Those "FAT CAT" CEOs are responsible for creating jobs. How many jobs have you created? I work for a large corporation that pays me well and provides me with excellent benefits. How well would a poor person pay me? When was the last time you heard someone say, "I want to work for a poor person."