CSL Vifor is a global specialty
pharmaceuticals
Medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal product, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy ( pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the ...
company in the treatment areas of
iron deficiency
Iron deficiency, or sideropenia, is the state in which a body lacks enough iron to supply its needs. Iron is present in all cells in the human body and has several vital functions, such as carrying oxygen to the tissues from the lungs as a key ...
,
dialysis,
nephrology
Nephrology is a specialty for both adult internal medicine and pediatric medicine that concerns the study of the kidneys, specifically normal kidney function (renal physiology) and kidney disease (renal pathophysiology), the preservation of kid ...
&
rare disease
A rare disease is any disease that affects a small percentage of the population. In some parts of the world, the term orphan disease describes a rare disease whose rarity results in little or no funding or research for treatments, without financi ...
. It is headquartered in
Switzerland
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
and consists of CSL Vifor, Vifor Fresenius Medical Care Renal Pharma (VFMCRP) and Sanifit Therapeutics.
History
* In 1872, Caspar Friedrich Hausmann founds a pharmacy in
St. Gallen
* In 1927, 16 pharmacists establish a joint purchasing centre, Collaboration Pharmaceutique SA, which went on to be renamed
Galenica AG in 1933 (later to be renamed Vifor Pharma Ltd. in 2017)
* In 1944, The pharmacist René Grosclaude founds Vifor Ltd; the company produces
over-the-counter
Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs are medicines sold directly to a consumer without a requirement for a prescription from a healthcare professional, as opposed to prescription drugs, which may be supplied only to consumers possessing a valid pres ...
medicines
* In 1983, Hausmann AG laboratories is acquired by Galenica
* In 1991, Vifor (International) Ltd. is founded and takes over the work of Laboratorien Hausmann in developing new iron products
* In 2008, Vifor Pharma is founded following the $915 million acquisition of a
Canadian
Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...
company, Aspreva Pharmaceutical Corporation,
Vifor Ltd. and Vifor (international) Ltd. are integrated in Vifor Pharma.
* In 2009, Galenica acquires OM Pharma, a Swiss biotechnology company
* In 2010, Vifor Pharma Group and Fresenius Medical Care found the joint company Vifor Fresenius Medical Care Renal Pharma (VFMCRP)
* In 2014, Galenica is divided into two divisions, Vifor Pharma and Galenica Santé
* In 2016, Relypsa, a US based biotechnology company, is purchased for $1.53 billion
* In 2017, the IPO of Galenica Santé (GALE) is completed and listed on the
Swiss Stock Exchange. Galenica AG (GALE) and Vifor Pharma AG (VIFN) are listed as independent entities since
* In 2018, the US Food and Drug Administration FDA approved a Supplemental New Drug Application for the potassium binder Veltassa with or without food
* In 2019, Vifor Fresenius Medical Care Renal Pharma (VFMCRP) received the Swiss Success Award from the non-profit organisation Swiss Biotech Association
* In 2020, Vifor Pharma sells 100% of OM Pharma to Optimus Holding Limited for CHF 435 million
* In 2020, Vifor Pharma also forms a Joint Venture agreement with Fresenius Kabi for the market in the People's Republic of China in the area of intravenous iron deficiency treatments
* In the same year, a deal with Cara Therapeutics for the commercialisation of Difelikefalin to treat CKD-aP patients has been signed.
* In 2021 Vifor Pharma concluded a licensing agreement for the commercialisation of
Sparsentan in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.
* In the same year, Tavneos was approved in the US, Japan and the EU. Korsuva / Kapruvia reached approval in the United States and the EU.
* In November 2021, Vifor Pharma Group acquired Sanifit with its novel inhibitor of vascular calcification SNF472 for the treatment of
calcific uremic arteriolopathy (CUA) and
peripheral artery disease
Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a vascular disorder that causes abnormal narrowing of arteries other than those that supply the heart or brain. PAD can happen in any blood vessel, but it is more common in the legs than the arms.
When narr ...
(PAD) in patients with end-stage kidney disease. On the same day, Vifor announced the acquisition of Swiss-based Inositec who develops treatments for soft tissue and vascular calcification disorders and
aortic valve stenosis
Aortic stenosis (AS or AoS) is the stenosis, narrowing of the exit of the left ventricle of the heart (where the aorta begins), such that problems result. It may occur at the aortic valve as well as above and below this level. It typically get ...
(AVS).
* In December 2021
CSL Limited
CSL Limited is an Australian multinational specialty biotechnology company that researches, develops, manufactures, and markets products to treat and prevent serious human medical conditions. CSL's product areas include blood plasma derivative ...
announced it would acquire Vifor Pharma for
CHF 10.9 billion (US$11.7 billion).
The capital raising is considered one of the ten largest secondary-market deals worldwide in 2021.
* In August 2022 the acquisition of Vifor Pharma by Australian company CSL was completed. Vifor Pharma became CSL Vifor.
Activity
CSL Vifor is active in the treatment of
iron deficiency
Iron deficiency, or sideropenia, is the state in which a body lacks enough iron to supply its needs. Iron is present in all cells in the human body and has several vital functions, such as carrying oxygen to the tissues from the lungs as a key ...
and
iron deficiency anaemia.
The Group also has a focus on the management of conditions in
nephrology
Nephrology is a specialty for both adult internal medicine and pediatric medicine that concerns the study of the kidneys, specifically normal kidney function (renal physiology) and kidney disease (renal pathophysiology), the preservation of kid ...
,
cardiology
Cardiology () is the study of the heart. Cardiology is a branch of medicine that deals with disorders of the heart and the cardiovascular system. The field includes medical diagnosis and treatment of congenital heart defects, coronary artery di ...
and
rare diseases
A rare disease is any disease that affects a small percentage of the population. In some parts of the world, the term orphan disease describes a rare disease whose rarity results in little or no funding or research for treatments, without financ ...
. Iron deficiency treatments Ferinject and Injectafer were accountable for more than a third of its revenues in 2021.
The dialysis segment with the
Erythropoiesis-Stimulating Agent
Erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESA) are medications which stimulate the bone marrow to make red blood cells. They are used to treat anemia due to end stage kidney disease, chemotherapy, major surgery, or certain treatments in HIV/AIDS. In t ...
s Mircera
(
Methoxy polyethylene glycol-epoetin beta) and Retacrit (
Epoetin alfa-epbx) as well as the phosphate binder Velphoro (
Sucroferric oxyhydroxide) has a similarly high turnover as the iron deficiency area, which also includes the orally administered treatment Maltofer (
iron polymaltose). The
potassium
Potassium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol K (from Neo-Latin ) and atomic number19. It is a silvery white metal that is soft enough to easily cut with a knife. Potassium metal reacts rapidly with atmospheric oxygen to ...
binder Veltassa (
Patiromer) is the most selling treatment in the nephrology segment.
CSL Vifor is a member of a number of trade associations that advocate on behalf of the
pharmaceutical industry
The pharmaceutical industry is a medical industry that discovers, develops, produces, and markets pharmaceutical goods such as medications and medical devices. Medications are then administered to (or self-administered by) patients for curing ...
and for the policy positions commonly shared, this includes the
(EFPIA).
CSL Vifor has formed collaborations with pharmaceutical companies like American Regent,
Roche
F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG, commonly known as Roche (), is a Switzerland, Swiss multinational corporation, multinational holding healthcare company that operates worldwide under two divisions: Pharmaceuticals and Diagnostics. Its holding company, ...
,
Fresenius Medical Care
Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA is an American-German healthcare company which provides kidney dialysis services through a network of 4,171 outpatient dialysis centers, serving 345,425 patients. The company primarily treats end-stage renal ...
, Fresenius Kabi
and
Pfizer
Pfizer Inc. ( ) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Pharmaceutical industry, pharmaceutical and biotechnology corporation headquartered at The Spiral (New York City), The Spiral in Manhattan, New York City. Founded in 184 ...
. It has also partnered with biotechs such as Akebia, Angion Biomedica, Cara Therapeutics, ChemoCentryx and Travere Therapeutics.
Structure and operations
CSL Vifor is present in
North
North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography.
Etymology
T ...
and
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...
,
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 ...
, the
Middle East
The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq.
The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...
and
Asia Pacific
Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...
and is active in over 100 countries all around the world.
R&D sites of the group are located in Switzerland.
The company is headquartered in St. Gallen where its core manufacturing capabilities on active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) production of its iron therapies are concentrated.
The operational headquarters for sales, marketing, medicine and registration are located in
Glattbrugg.
[ CSL Vifor maintains a research site on iron deficiency in the Bio-Technopark in ]Schlieren
Schlieren ( ; , ) are optical inhomogeneities in transparent media that are not necessarily visible to the human eye. Schlieren physics developed out of the need to produce high-quality lenses devoid of such inhomogeneities. These inhomogeneit ...
. The Zürich
Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...
-based subsidiary Inositec is an ETH
Eth ( , uppercase: ⟨Ð⟩, lowercase: ⟨ð⟩; also spelled edh or eð), known as in Old English, is a letter used in Old English, Middle English, Icelandic, Faroese (in which it is called ), and Elfdalian.
It was also used in Sca ...
spin-off. Sanifit Therapeutics is based in Palma de Mallorca
Palma (, ; ), also known as Palma de Mallorca (officially between 1983 and 1988, 2006–2008, and 2012–2016), is the capital and largest city of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain. It is ...
.anaemia
Anemia (also spelt anaemia in British English) is a blood disorder in which the blood has a reduced ability to carry oxygen. This can be due to a lower than normal number of red blood cells, a reduction in the amount of hemoglobin availab ...
, and Vifor Fresenius Medical Care Renal Pharma, focused on kidney disease patients, including anaemia, mineral and bone management, cardio-renal conditions, and rare diseases.Chronic Kidney Disease
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a type of long-term kidney disease, defined by the sustained presence of abnormal kidney function and/or abnormal kidney structure. To meet criteria for CKD, the abnormalities must be present for at least three mo ...
.Evotec
Evotec SE is a publicly listed drug discovery and development company headquartered in Hamburg, Germany. The company operates globally, largely through external alliances with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, academic institutions, ...
to build a nephrology therapeutic pipeline.
Therapeutic areas
Iron deficiency
Iron deficiency, or sideropenia, is the state in which a body lacks enough iron to supply its needs. Iron is present in all cells in the human body and has several vital functions, such as carrying oxygen to the tissues from the lungs as a key ...
is a condition in which iron availability is insufficient to meet body needs. It affects one out of three women of reproductive age worldwide.Iron-deficiency anemia
Iron-deficiency anemia is anemia caused by a iron deficiency, lack of iron. Anemia is defined as a decrease in the number of red blood cells or the amount of hemoglobin in the blood. When onset is slow, symptoms are often vague such as Fatigue ( ...
,inflammatory bowel disease
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a group of inflammatory conditions of the colon and small intestine, with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis (UC) being the principal types. Crohn's disease affects the small intestine and large intestine ...
(IBD), chronic heart failure
Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to fill with and pump blood.
Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF typically pre ...
(CHF)pruritus
An itch (also known as pruritus) is a sensation that causes a strong desire or reflex to scratch. Itches have resisted many attempts to be classified as any one type of sensory experience. Itches have many similarities to pain, and while both ...
,hyperphosphatemia
Hyperphosphatemia is an electrolyte disorder in which there is an elevated level of phosphate in the blood. Most people have no symptoms while others develop calcium deposits in the soft tissue. The disorder is often accompanied by low calci ...
.hyperkalemia
Hyperkalemia is an elevated level of potassium (K+) in the blood. Normal potassium levels are between 3.5 and 5.0 mmol/L (3.5 and 5.0 mEq/L) with levels above 5.5mmol/L defined as hyperkalemia. Typically hyperkalemia does not cause symptoms. Oc ...
,hyperparathyroidism
Hyperparathyroidism is an increase in parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels in the blood. This occurs from a disorder either within the parathyroid glands ( primary hyperparathyroidism) or as response to external stimuli ( secondary hyperparathyroi ...
,ANCA-associated vasculitis
Anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCAs) are a group of autoantibodies, mainly of the IgG type, against antigens in the cytoplasm of neutrophils (the most common type of white blood cell) and monocytes. They are detected as a blood test ...
,beta-thalassemia
Beta-thalassemia (β-thalassemia) is an inherited blood disorder, a form of thalassemia resulting in variable outcomes ranging from clinically asymptomatic to severe anemia individuals. It is caused by reduced or absent synthesis of the beta ...
sickle cell disease
Sickle cell disease (SCD), also simply called sickle cell, is a group of inherited Hemoglobinopathy, haemoglobin-related blood disorders. The most common type is known as sickle cell anemia. Sickle cell anemia results in an abnormality in the ...
,IgA nephropathy
IgA nephropathy (IgAN), also known as Berger's disease () (and variations), or synpharyngitic glomerulonephritis, is a kidney disease, disease of the kidney (or nephropathy) and the immune system; specifically it is a form of glomerulonephritis o ...
Acute kidney injury
Acute kidney injury (AKI), previously called acute renal failure (ARF), is a sudden decrease in renal function, kidney function that develops within seven days, as shown by an increase in serum creatinine or a decrease in urine output, or both.
...
(CSA-AKI).
Products and in-Licensing
Apart from its own manufactured iron products, CSL Vifor enters partnerships and is in-licensing products at an advanced stage of development additionally to its own research and development (R&D). CSL Vifor has concluded cooperation and licensing agreements with both large pharmaceutical companies and smaller biotech companies.Iron sucrose
Intravenous iron sucrose is a commonly used treatment for Iron-deficiency anemia, iron deficiency anemia. Iron sucrose replaces iron in the blood to foster red blood cell production in patients with chronic kidney disease. Iron sucrose has the tr ...
)
* Retacrit (Erythropoiesis-stimulating agent
Erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESA) are medications which stimulate the bone marrow to make red blood cells. They are used to treat anemia due to end stage kidney disease, chemotherapy, major surgery, or certain treatments in HIV/AIDS. In t ...
) (in-licensed from Pfizer)
Pipeline productsDifelikefalin
Difelikefalin, sold under the brand name Korsuva, is an opioid peptide used for the treatment of moderate to severe itch. It acts as a peripherally-restricted, highly selective agonist of the κ-opioid receptor (KOR).
Difelikefalin acts as an a ...
) (in-licensed from Cara Therapeutics)Calcifediol
Calcifediol, also known as calcidiol, 25-hydroxycholecalciferol, or 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (abbreviated 25(OH)D3), is a form of vitamin D produced in the liver by hydroxylation of vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) by the enzyme vitamin D 25-hydroxylas ...
) (in-licensed from OPKO Health)
* Sparsentan (in-licensed from Travere Therapeutics)
* SNF472
* Tavneos ( Avacopan) (in-licensed from ChemoCentryx Inc.)
* Vadadustat (in-licensed from Akebia Therapeutics)
* Vamifeport (developed by CSL Vifor)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vifor Pharma AG
Swiss brands
Pharmaceutical companies of Switzerland
Companies based in St. Gallen (city)
Chemical companies of Switzerland
Companies listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange
Swiss companies established in 1927
Pharmaceutical companies established in 1927