The Foundation was established with the support of four founding corporate sponsors including Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Ipsen Inc., Ferring Research Institute and PolyPeptide Group.
Sponsors
Amylin Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company committed to improving lives through the discovery, development and commercialization of innovative medicines.
The company was founded in 1987 on the discovery of a hormone, amylin, produced by the same beta cells of the pancreas that make insulin. Since then, Amylin has built a strong foundation on research and development. Amylin's scientists are primarily focused on investigating the potential utility of new peptide hormone candidates. The company has amassed significant research and clinical expertise in metabolic medicine including the areas of diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular disease. By "Challenging Science," Amylin challenges conventional thinking to create innovative approaches to the discovery, development and commercialization of novel therapies for metabolic diseases. Amylin's approach and dedication are rooted in the belief that they will be "Changing Lives" for millions of people - not only with the drugs currently in late-stage development, but also with their pipeline of future therapies
Ferring Pharmaceuticals is a specialty, research-driven biopharmaceutical company focused on biologics, peptides and proteins therapeutics, in three main core therapeutic areas, infertility, urology and gastroenterology. The company headquartered in Saint-Prex (Switzerland), employs over 3,200 people worldwide and operates subsidiaries in over 45 countries. The company R&D centers are located Saint-Prex (Switzerland), Copenhagen (Denmark), Mumbai (India), Beer Tuvia (Israel) and Parsippany and San Diego (United States).
The Ferring Research Institute, Inc. (FRI) was established in San Diego in 1996 as the company’s center of excellence for peptide research. FRI focuses its research on naturally-occurring peptides/hormones and receptors involved in the control of the body’s major biological functions and physio-pathological processes. Its peptide chemistry technology and expertise enables in-depth modification of virtually all peptide/hormone families, allowing the custom design of peptide therapeutics with improved pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics and pharmaceutical properties. This has lead in recent years to the discovery of a number of innovative peptidic new chemical entities (NCEs) now at various stages of development, either in house or externally. The most advanced NCE, degarelix, was recently approved by the FDA for the treatment of patients with advanced prostate cancer.
Ipsen Inc., Ipsen is an innovation-driven international specialty pharmaceutical group with over 20 products on the market and a total worldwide staff of nearly 4,000. Its development strategy is based on a combination of specialty products, which are growth drivers, in targeted therapeutic areas (oncology, endocrinology and neuromuscular disorders), and primary care products which contribute significantly to its research financing. The location of its four Research & Development centres (Paris, Boston, Barcelona, London) and its peptide and protein engineering platform give the Group a competitive edge in gaining access to leading university research teams and highly qualified personnel. More than 700 people in R&D are dedicated to the discovery and development of innovative drugs for patient care. This strategy is also supported by an active policy of partnerships. In 2007, Research and Development expenditure was about €185 million, in excess of 20% of consolidated sales, which amounted to €920.5 million while total revenues amounted to €993.8 million. Ipsen’s shares are traded on Segment A of Euronext Paris (stock code: IPN, ISIN code: FR0010259150). Ipsen’s shares are eligible to the “Service de Règlement Différé” (“SRD”) and the Group is part of the SBF 120 index. For more information on Ipsen, visit our website at www.ipsen.com
PolyPeptide Group is a leading provider of custom and generic GMP-grade peptides for a range of pharmaceutical and biotechnology applications. With corporate roots that began in the 1950s, the Group was formally launched in 1996. Today, it operates a growing international network of peptide manufacturing facilities. Its world-class chemists and support personnel offer an unparalleled range of services for clients of every size and at every stage of product development. More information about PolyPeptide Group is available at www.PolyPeptide.com. PolyPeptide Group is a group of six companies, that are exclusively focused on the manufacture of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) based on peptides and related substances. The PolyPeptide Group is privately held and employs bout 450+ staff worldwide.
The PolyPeptide Group has been inspected by the FDA ten times as well by other Regulatory Authorities. Altogether, the Group has about 20 approved APIs.