Nordic Life Science 1
TOP STORIES BUSINESS NEW ST R AT EG Y As part of
its Expand and Invest to Grow-strategy, Lundbeck plans to make changes to its organization in Research & Development. lead to a reduction of around 130-160 positions globally, Jakob Lindberg, CSO, Oncopeptides DRUG D E V E L O PMEN T The company has agreed to take over Kancera’s drug development facility in Solna, Sweden. an important step in the development of Oncopeptides’ pre-clinical operations and marks an additional augmentation of the company’s research capacity. Oncopeptides recruits several employees with pre-clinical expertise from Kancera and takes over the lease contract for laboratory facilities, as well as equipment. The company has also submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, FDA, for accelerated approval of melflufen in combination with dexamethasone for the treatment of adult patients with multiple 18 myeloma whose disease is refractory to at least one proteasome inhibitor, one immunomodulatory agent and one anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody (i.e., triple-class refractory multiple myeloma patients). “This is a major milestone for Oncopeptides and is a result of dedicated research and development activities throughout the past decade,” says Jakob Lindberg, CSO of Oncopeptides. Following the submission to the FDA, Oncopeptides will initiate an Expanded Access Program (EAP) in the U.S. to enable melflufen treatment for patients with a significant unmet medical need. including approximately 100 in Denmark. “The proposed changes will allow us to fully execute on our strategy in the years to come and rebuild our pipeline with innovative programs with strong potential to deliver highly impactful treatments for patients with brain disorders. Through this we will support Lundbeck in becoming the premier neuroscience company, globally,” says Johan Luthman, Executive Vice President, R&D, Lundbeck. Key elements include focusing Lundbeck’s R&D efforts where the science is most promising and on biological platforms where Lundbeck can have world class expertise. Lundbeck will also strengthen competencies to leverage new technologies and will build agility and flexibility into its ways of working in order to lead in the ever-evolving neuroscience landscape, it states. The initiative could lead to a reduction of around 130–160 positions globally, including approx 100 in Denmark. NORDICLIFESCIENCE.ORG