Biotie Therapies
Biotie Therapies Oyj was a Finnish biotechnology and pharmaceutics company that was acquired by Acorda Therapeutics in January 2016. The company's research and development was focused on drugs for neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders like Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and other cognitive disorders, alcohol and drug dependence and post traumatic stress disorder, and inflammatory and fibrotic liver disease. The company's headquarters is in Turku, Western Finland, and it is listed on NASDAQ OMX Helsinki.
Overview
Biotie Therapies was formed in the merger of Biotie Therapies Corp., Oy Contral Pharma Ltd and Carbion Inc in the year 2002. In 2008, Biotie Therapies acquired the German pharmaceutical discovery and development company Elbion GmbH in Radebeul. In 2010 Biotie Therapies all preclinical assets were transferred into a new company, biocrea GmbH, in which Biotie become a minority shareholder. In 2011, Biotie acquired a pharmaceutical company, Synosia.The company has partnering agreements with H. Lundbeck A/S and UCB.
In January 2016, Acorda Therapeutics acquired Biotie Therapies for $363 million.
Product pipeline
Selincro (nalmefene)
The company's most advanced product, Nalmefene, for the treatment of alcoholism. Biotie's partner H. Lundbeck A/S received European marketing authorization from the European Commission on 28 February 2013. Lundbeck expects to launch Selincro in its first markets in the middle of 2013.Studies have shown, that nalmefene has the ability to significantly limit both the patient's average alcohol intake and the number of days with an intake above five units of alcohol. The drug works by removing the patient's desire to drink more, thereby controlling and limiting the intake of alcohol. The drug will be used in tablet form, and taken only according to need. According to the company, this is a novel approach for alcohol dependency treatment; existing treatments are aimed at keeping the patient from drinking and the drugs have to be taken continuously over a longer period of time.
Tozadenant
SYN115, also called tozadenant, was developed as a potential treatment for Parkinson's disease or other CNS disorders. It was an orally administered, potent and inhibitor of the [adenosine A2A receptor">adenosine A2A receptor antagonist">inhibitor of the [adenosine A2A receptor.In January 2016, the company was acquired by Acorda Therapeutics, for. In November 2017, the company announced discontinuation of the agent following the death of 5 patients enrolled in the tozadenant Phase III trial from agranulocytosis and associated severe adverse events possibly related to tozadenant.