ALK-Abelló A/S (), also commonly known as ALK, is a

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

-based

pharmaceutical company The pharmaceutical industry is a Medicine, medical industry that discovers, develops, produces, and markets pharmaceutical goods such as medications and medical devices. Medications are then administered to (or Self-medicate, self-administered b ...

which specializes in the development and manufacturing of

allergy immunotherapy Allergen immunotherapy, also known as desensitization or hypo-sensitization, is a medical treatment for environmental allergies (such as insect bites) and asthma. Immunotherapy involves exposing people to larger and larger amounts of allergens i ...

(AIT) products for the prevention and treatment of

allergy Allergies, also known as allergic diseases, are various conditions caused by hypersensitivity of the immune system to typically harmless substances in the environment. These diseases include Allergic rhinitis, hay fever, Food allergy, food al ...

. It is one of the world's largest makers of allergy immunotherapy products (also known as ‘allergy vaccines’) with 67% of its revenue coming from sales in

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

History

ALK-Abello dates back to 1923, when Denmark's first

allergen An allergen is an otherwise harmless substance that triggers an allergic reaction in sensitive individuals by stimulating an immune response. In technical terms, an allergen is an antigen that is capable of stimulating a type-I hypersensitivi ...

extracts were produced at the pharmacy of the

Copenhagen University Hospital Copenhagen University Hospital is a conglomerate of several hospitals in Region Hovedstaden and Region Sjælland in Denmark, together with the University of Copenhagen Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences a ...

. The company was subsequently established as Allergologisk Laboratorium København. The company has since focused on mapping the mechanisms of allergic impact on the immune system in order to develop new and improved allergy therapies. The research focuses on prevention, treatment, and management of allergies, especially hay fever and asthma. In 1925, Juan Abello Pascual founded Abello Pharmaceuticals in Spain. In 1978, ALK released the first standardized line of products for the treatment of allergies. In 1992, ALK and Abello merged. In the 1990s, ALK was the first company to launch

sublingual immunotherapy Allergen immunotherapy, also known as desensitization or hypo-sensitization, is a medical treatment for environmental allergies (such as insect bites) and asthma. Immunotherapy involves exposing people to larger and larger amounts of allergens i ...

drops (allergy immunotherapy administered as droplets under the tongue). In recent years, ALK's research and development strategy has been focused on introducing a range of sublingual immunotherapy tablets (SLIT-tablets). The first, for grass pollen allergy, was launched in 2006, and was followed by SLIT-tablets for ragweed pollen allergy in 2014, and

house dust mite allergy House dust mites (HDM, or simply dust mites) are various species of acariform mites belonging to the family Pyroglyphidae that are found in association with dust in dwellings. They are known for causing allergies. Biology Species The currentl ...

in 2016. The company is part-owned by the

Lundbeck H. Lundbeck A/S, commonly referred to as Lundbeck, is a Denmark, Danish international pharmaceutical company engaged in the research, development, manufacturing, marketing and sale of pharmaceuticals across the world. The company’s products ar ...

Foundation, however is also a publicly traded entity.

Corporate information

ALK's stock is listed on the NASDAQ OMX

Copenhagen Stock Exchange The Nasdaq Copenhagen, formerly known as the Copenhagen Stock Exchange (), is an international marketplace for Danish securities, including shares, bonds, treasury bills and notes, and financial futures and options. Nasdaq Copenhagen is on ...

. As of November 1, 2023, the current members of ALK's board of directors are:
Anders Hedegaard ( Chairperson of the board, Chairperson of the Remuneration & Nomination Committee, Member of the Scientific Committee, Professional board member) Lene Skole (

Vice Chair The chair, also chairman, chairwoman, or chairperson, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

, Member of the Remuneration & Nomination Committee, Member of the Scientific Committee, CEO Lundbeckfonden and directorships at two other subsidiaries) Gitte Aabo (Chairperson of the Audit Committee, CEO of GN Hearing and GN Store Nord) Lars Holmqvist (Member of the Audit Committee, Professional board member) Jesper Høiland (Member of the Audit Committee, Strategic adviser, PharmaCo Consult ApS) Bertil Lindmark (Chairperson of the Scientific Committee, Chief Medical Officer of Galecto A/S) Alan Main (Member of the Remuneration & Nomination Committee, Senior adviser, Bamboo Capital Partners) Katja Barnkob Nanna Carlson Lise Lund Mærkedahl Johan Smedsrud As of November 1, 2023, the members of ALK's board of management are:
Peter Halling (

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

and

Chief Executive Officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

) Henriette Mersebach (

Executive Vice President A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vi ...

Research and Development Research and development (R&D or R+D), known in some countries as OKB, experiment and design, is the set of innovative activities undertaken by corporations or governments in developing new services or products. R&D constitutes the first stage ...

) Søren Niegel (Executive Vice President, Commercial Operations) Claus Steensen Sølje (

Chief Financial Officer A chief financial officer (CFO) is an officer of a company or organization who is assigned the primary responsibility for making decisions for the company for projects and its finances; i.a.: financial planning, management of financial risks, ...

and Executive Vice President) Christian Gauguin Houghton (Executive Vice President, Product Supply) Lisbeth Kirk (

Senior Vice President A vice president or vice-president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice ...

, People & Organisation) Jan Engel Jensen (Senior Vice President, Global Quality Assurance)

Operations

ALK employs 2,900 people worldwide. The company's global headquarters and its main research and development center are on the Scion DTU science and technology park in

Hørsholm Hørsholm () is an urban area on the Øresund coast approximately north of Copenhagen, Denmark. It covers most of Hørsholm Municipality and straddles the borders neighbouring Fredensborg Municipality and Rudersdal Municipality. Hørsholm proper ...

, Denmark, in the

Capital Region of Denmark The Capital Region of Denmark (, ) is the easternmost administrative region of Denmark, and contains Copenhagen, the national capital. The Capital Region has 29 municipalities and a regional council consisting of 41 elected members. As of 1 ...

. The company is present in 46 countries, either directly or via partnerships. Other ALK facilities include: *European production facilities in Hørsholm, Denmark, in Vanduille and Varennes, France, and in

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

, Spain. *North American production facilities in Port Washington,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, in

Post Falls Post Falls is a city in Kootenai County, Idaho, United States. It is the gateway city to Northern Idaho off Interstate 90, just west of Coeur d'Alene, and east of Spokane, Washington. The population is an estimated 44,798 in 2023 according to th ...

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...

, in Luther, Iowa, and in

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

Products

Allergy immunotherapy products account for 88% of ALK's revenues and comprise three types of product: *

Sublingual immunotherapy Allergen immunotherapy, also known as desensitization or hypo-sensitization, is a medical treatment for environmental allergies (such as insect bites) and asthma. Immunotherapy involves exposing people to larger and larger amounts of allergens i ...

tablets (SLIT-tablets) covering grass pollen, ragweed pollen and house dust mite allergies. * Sublingual immunotherapy drops (SLIT-drops). A droplet-based allergy vaccine marketed under various brand names and covering approximately 40 different allergens and combinations of allergens, including pollens, molds, mites and pets. * Subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT). An injection-based allergy vaccine marketed under various brand names and covering the most common allergens such as pollens, molds, mites, pets, bees and wasps. The aforementioned allergy immunotherapy products are purified from natural allergen sources then combined with

excipient An excipient is a substance formulated alongside the active ingredient of a medication. They may be used to enhance the active ingredient’s therapeutic properties; to facilitate drug absorption; to reduce viscosity; to enhance solubility; to i ...

s during formulation. Other ALK products include an emergency adrenaline autoinjector for people who experience

anaphylaxis Anaphylaxis (Greek: 'up' + 'guarding') is a serious, potentially fatal allergic reaction and medical emergency that is rapid in onset and requires immediate medical attention regardless of the use of emergency medication on site. It typicall ...

, allergy diagnostic kits, for example,

skin prick tests Skin is the layer of usually soft, flexible outer tissue covering the body of a vertebrate animal, with three main functions: protection, regulation, and sensation. Other animal coverings, such as the arthropod exoskeleton, have different d ...

, and bulk allergen extracts, mostly sold in the US to allergy specialists for use in their practices.

Partnerships and collaborations

From 2006 until 2016, ALK had a

strategic alliance A strategic alliance is an agreement between two or more Legal party, parties to pursue a set of agreed upon objectives needed while remaining independent organizations. The alliance is a cooperation or collaboration which aims for a synergy wh ...

with

Merck & Co Merck & Co., Inc. is an American Multinational corporation, multinational pharmaceutical company headquartered in Rahway, New Jersey. The company does business as Merck Sharp & Dohme or MSD outside the United States and Canada. It is one of the ...

to develop and commercialize ALK's SLIT-tablet products in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

and

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

, granting Merck

exclusive rights An exclusive right, or exclusivity, is a ''de facto'', non-tangible prerogative existing in law (that is, the power or, in a wider sense, right) to perform an action or acquire a benefit and to permit or deny others the right to perform the same ...

to develop, market and distribute the tablets for grass pollen allergy,

house dust mite House dust mites (HDM, or simply dust mites) are various species of acariform mites belonging to the family Pyroglyphidae that are found in association with dust in dwellings. They are known for causing allergies. Biology Species The curren ...

allergy and

ragweed Ragweeds are flowering plants in the genus ''Ambrosia'' in the aster family, Asteraceae. They are distributed in the tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas, especially North America, In June 2016, ALK and

announced that the partnership would end by the end of 2016. The company also has an alliance with Torii Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd to develop and commercialize ALK's house dust mite allergy immunotherapy products in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. The agreement covers the house dust mite SLIT-tablet, an injection-based immunotherapy product, and diagnostic products for house dust mite allergy. In addition, it established a research and development collaboration to develop a SLIT-tablet product for

Japanese cedar ''Cryptomeria'' (literally "hidden parts") is a monotypic genus of conifer in the cypress family Cupressaceae. It includes only one species, ''Cryptomeria japonica'' ( syn. ''Cupressus japonica'' L.f.). It is considered to be endemic to Japan, ...

pollen allergy. In

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

, ALK had a

collaboration Collaboration (from Latin ''com-'' "with" + ''laborare'' "to labor", "to work") is the process of two or more people, entities or organizations working together to complete a task or achieve a goal. Collaboration is similar to cooperation. The ...

with Eddingpharm which covered ALK's diagnostic skin prick test for house dust mite allergy, and a subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) product, also for house dust mite allergy. Under the agreement, Eddingpharm handled sales and distribution, while ALK provided medical and scientific expertise. Announced in April 2014, the collaboration was to run for an initial seven years, provided certain performance targets were met. However, the agreement was terminated by ALK in 2016, in favor of a collaboration with a new distributor. ALK also has had a collaboration with Abbott covering Russia and selected emerging markets, under which Abbott gained rights to distribute and commercialize ALK's SLIT-tablets for grass, ragweed, tree and house dust mite allergies. The agreement with Abbott was expanded in 2016, and allowed Abbott until the end of the collaboration in 2017 to register and sell ALK's house dust mite SLIT-tablet in seven markets in

South-East Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Australian mainland, which is part of Oceania. Southeast Asia i ...

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

the Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of 7,641 islands, with a total area of roughly 300,000 square kilometers, which ar ...

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

and

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

. ALK also signed a collaboration with bioCSL (now name Seqirus) covering

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

which grants it exclusive rights to promote and sell ALK's SLIT-tablets against house dust mite and grass pollen allergy and its adrenaline auto-injector.

Sponsorships

ALK is one of the founder sponsors of the

European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology The European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) is a non-profit organisation for European clinicians, researchers and allied health professionals in the field of allergy and clinical immunology, covering asthma, rhinitis, eczema a ...

(EAACI). It also sponsors and organizes an invitation-only biennial scientific symposium, the

Symposium on Specific Allergy In Ancient Greece, the symposium (, ''sympósion'', from συμπίνειν, ''sympínein'', 'to drink together') was the part of a banquet that took place after the meal, when drinking for pleasure was accompanied by music, dancing, recitals, o ...

(SOSA). Since 2000, the company has sponsored the WAO Henning Løwenstein Research Award which is awarded to a young scientist who has shown excellence within the field of allergy. Since 2005, the award has been made every two years. The 2013 winner, received €10,000 (or an educational grant of corresponding value) and a travel grant to attend the 2013

(EAACI)/

World Allergy Organization The World Allergy Organization (WAO) is an international umbrella organization of 111 regional and national allergology and clinical immunology societies. Since the first World Allergy Congress (WAC) held in Zürich, Zurich, Switzerland in 1951, th ...

(WAO) Congress in

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

Timeline

1923: Doctor Kaj Baagøe and pharmacist Peter Barfod produce Denmark's first pharmaceutically manufactured allergen extract at

(

Rigshospitalet Rigshospitalet (meaning ''the National'', ''State'', ''Kingdom'' or ''Hospital of the Realm'', but not usually translated) is the largest public and teaching hospital in Copenhagen and the most highly specialised hospital in Denmark. The hospital ...

)
1949: Production of allergy vaccines and diagnostics is centered at an independent unit called Allergologisk Laboratorium (Allergology Laboratory)
1972: The technique to accurately identify the proteins that provoke allergies in individual patients is developed
1976: The first standardized process for allergen extracts (DAS 76) is developed
1978: The world's first standardized allergy immunotherapy product is launched
1984: ALK begins a period of global expansion by establishing a presence in several new markets and through strategic acquisitions
1990: The world's first product for sublingual immunotherapy drops (SLIT-drops) (droplets administered under the tongue) is launched
1990: The PAT (Preventative Allergy Treatment) study is initiated in collaboration with leading European allergy specialists. The study finds that allergy immunotherapy decreases the risk of the development of asthma in children with allergic rhinitis
1992: ALK acquires Alergia e Immunologia Abello S.A. (Abello), a Spanish company based in Madrid (with additional locations in Italy and Germany), its largest competitor at the time. Abello Pharmaceuticals was founded in 1925 by pharmacist Juan Abello Pascual and specialized in manufacturing oxygen- and alkaline-based therapeutics as well as synthetic hormones, among other processes and products.
2000: Acquires Center Laboratories, one of the leading suppliers of allergenic extracts in the U.S.
2006: The world's first registered sublingual immunotherapy tablet (SLIT-tablet), for grass pollen allergy, is launched
2007: An agreement is signed with

Schering-Plough Schering-Plough Corporation was an American pharmaceutical company. It was originally the U.S. subsidiary of the German company Schering AG, which was founded in 1851 by Ernst Christian Friedrich Schering. As a result of nationalization, it becam ...

(which merged with Merck & Co. in November 2009) to develop, register and commercialize in North America a portfolio of SLIT-tablet treatments for grass, ragweed and house dust mite allergy
2009: The Grazax Asthma Prevention (GAP) trial, investigating the potential for preventing the development of asthma in children and adolescents is initiated.
2011: A new ALK-developed adrenaline auto-injector for the treatment of acute anaphylaxis is launched
2011: An agreement with Torii Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. to develop, register and commercialize a number of SLIT-tablet products in Japan is signed. The agreement also covers selected existing ALK products and diagnostics against house dust mite allergy. It also covers a research and development contract to develop a sublingual immunotherapy tablet against Japanese cedar pollen allergy.
2014: The grass and ragweed SLIT-tablets are launched in the US.
2014: ALK signs collaboration agreements with Eddingpharm for China and Abbott for Russia and selected emerging markets.
2015: ALK signs a collaboration agreement with bioCSL (now Seqirus) covering Australia and New Zealand.
2016: ALK expands its partnership with Abbott to cover seven markets in South-East Asia and terminates its partnerships with Merck and EddingPharm.
2016: The house dust mite SLIT-tablet is launched in Europe and Japan. 2017: Inclusion in GINA. For the first time, allergy immunotherapy is recommended as a treatment option in the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) strategy document. 2017: New transformational growth strategy. ALK launches a new strategy to reach out to more people with allergy to become a broader-based allergy company. 2018: Launch of sister brand. Launch of ALK's sister brand klarify.me - offering a broad range of pre-screened products and services to help people manage their allergies. 2021: Entering food allergies. ALK announces an entry into food allergy treatment and begins developing a tablet for peanut allergies. 2023: ALK turns 100 years. ALK has been a pioneer in fighting allergies for 100 years.

Research and development

Since launching the first SLIT-tablet (for grass allergy) in 2006, ALK has been developing tablets for other allergies, including tree, ragweed and house dust mite. Its strategy is to develop more patient-friendly treatments based on the approach of 're-educating' the immune system.

Notes and references

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:ALK-Abello Companies listed on Nasdaq Copenhagen Pharmaceutical companies of Denmark Biotechnology companies of Denmark Life science companies based in Copenhagen Pharmaceutical companies established in 1923 Danish companies established in 1923 Companies based in Rudersdal Municipality