Camurus AB (publ) is a Swedish research-based pharmaceutical and

biotechnology Biotechnology is a multidisciplinary field that involves the integration of natural sciences and Engineering Science, engineering sciences in order to achieve the application of organisms and parts thereof for products and services. Specialists ...

company specialising in the commercialization of medicines for treating serious and chronic diseases. Established in 1991 and based in the southern university city of

Lund Lund (, ;"Lund"
(US) and ) is a city in the provinces of Sweden, province of Scania, southern Swed ...

, in the

Medicon Valley Medicon Valley is a leading international life sciences, life-sciences cluster in Europe, spanning the Øresund Region of eastern Denmark and southern Sweden. It is one of Europe's strongest life science clusters, with many life science companies a ...

region, the company is listed on

Nasdaq Stockholm Nasdaq Stockholm, formerly known as the Stockholm Stock Exchange (), is a stock exchange located in Frihamnen, Stockholm, Sweden. Founded in 1863, it has become the primary securities exchange of the Nordic countries. As of March 2021, a total ...

, Mid Cap. Camurus was founded by scientists in biophysical, food, and pharmaceutical chemistry with expertise in lipid phase structures. The company provides

nanoscale Nanotechnology is the manipulation of matter with at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometers (nm). At this scale, commonly known as the nanoscale, surface area and quantum mechanical effects become important in describing propertie ...

drug-delivery systems for development of high-value

therapeutics A therapy or medical treatment is the attempted remediation of a health problem, usually following a medical diagnosis. Both words, ''treatment'' and ''therapy'', are often abbreviated tx, Tx, or Tx. As a rule, each therapy has indications an ...

Company profile

Camurus aims to collaborate with biotechnology and

pharmaceutical companies 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 ...

worldwide to enable and improve the delivery of a wide range of drug compounds. These compounds including

peptides Peptides are short chains of amino acids linked by peptide bonds. A polypeptide is a longer, continuous, unbranched peptide chain. Polypeptides that have a molecular mass of 10,000 Dalton (unit), Da or more are called proteins. Chains of fewer t ...

proteins Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, re ...

, and insoluble

small molecule In molecular biology and pharmacology, a small molecule or micromolecule is a low molecular weight (≤ 1000 daltons) organic compound that may regulate a biological process, with a size on the order of 1 nm. Many drugs are small molecules; ...

s make use of delivery solutions ranging from long-acting

depots Depot may refer to: Places * Depot, Poland, a village * Depot Glacier (disambiguation) * Depot Island (disambiguation) * Depot Nunatak * Depot Peak Brands and enterprises * Maxwell Street Depot, a restaurant in Chicago, United States * Office ...

to lipid nanocarriers designed for improved

intravenous Intravenous therapy (abbreviated as IV therapy) is a medical technique that administers fluids, medications and nutrients directly into a person's vein. The intravenous route of administration is commonly used for rehydration or to provide nutr ...

transdermal Transdermal is a route of administration wherein active ingredients are delivered across the skin for systemic distribution. Examples include transdermal patches used for medicine delivery. The drug is administered in the form of a patch or ointm ...

, and oral delivery. Camurus' in-house product portfolio targets

healthcare Health care, or healthcare, is the improvement or maintenance of health via the preventive healthcare, prevention, diagnosis, therapy, treatment, wikt:amelioration, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other disability, physic ...

needs in areas of growth-hormone disorders,

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

oncology Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study, treatment, diagnosis, and prevention of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''. The name's Etymology, etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγ ...

supportive care,

metabolic disease A metabolic disorder is a disorder that negatively alters the body's processing and distribution of macronutrients, such as proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. Metabolic disorders can happen when abnormal chemical reactions in the body alter the ...

, and

drug addiction Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to use a drug or engage in a behavior that produces natural reward, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use can ...

Awards

In 2007, British investors evaluated six nominated private companies and chose to Camurus as the best privately owned biotechnology company in the Medicon Valley. The company was awarded the Strictly Financing Award 2007. In 2013, Camurus was awarded CPhI Pharma Award for Best Innovation in Formulation.

Technologies

Camurus is a company focused on the development of lipid

lyotropic liquid crystal Lyotropic liquid crystals result when Amphiphile, amphiphiles, which are both hydrophobic and hydrophilic, dissolve into a Solution (chemistry), solution that behaves both like a liquid and a solid crystal. This liquid crystalline mesophase inclu ...

structures for pharmaceutical drug delivery applications. These structures are well-defined three-dimensional formations consisting of

lipophilic Lipophilicity (from Greek language, Greek λίπος "fat" and :wikt:φίλος, φίλος "friendly") is the ability of a chemical compound to dissolve in fats, oils, lipids, and non-polar solvents such as hexane or toluene. Such compounds are c ...

and

hydrophilic A hydrophile is a molecule or other molecular entity that is attracted to water molecules and tends to be dissolved by water.Liddell, H.G. & Scott, R. (1940). ''A Greek-English Lexicon'' Oxford: Clarendon Press. In contrast, hydrophobes are n ...

domains that can be either interconnected or isolated depending on the environmentally induced phase conditions. The unique

crystalline A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents (such as atoms, molecules, or ions) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macrosc ...

structures offer a unique way of encapsulating and transporting

Active pharmaceutical ingredients An active ingredient is any ingredient that provides biologically active or other direct effect in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease or to affect the structure or any function of the body of humans or animals. ...

, such as small molecules, peptides and proteins through the body. The structures also allow for the use of controlled release and prevention of degradation of fragile short half live molecules, a serious issue for amino-acid based drugs.

FluidCrystal technology

Camurus' FluidCrystal are available as

injectable An injection (often and usually referred to as a "shot" in US English, a "jab" in UK English, or a "jag" in Scottish English and Scots) is the act of administering a liquid, especially a drug, into a person's body using a needle (usually a hyp ...

depots and

topical A topical medication is a medication that is applied to a particular place on or in the body. Most often topical medication means application to body surfaces such as the skin or mucous membranes to treat ailments via a large range of classes ...

bioadhesive delivery technologies. By encapsulating the drug compound in the nanostructures, injectable depots are able to deliver therapeutic levels of drug substance over extended periods from a single injection. This leads to a decrease in traditional side effects associated with high initial drug release on injection (drug burst), poor drug stability, and complex processing requirements, making the system highly suitable for sustained parental delivery of peptides, proteins, and small molecule drug compounds. The topical delivery system creates a bio-adhesive film that provides local and continual release of drug compounds. The delivery system is suited for delivery of peptide, protein, and small molecule drug compounds and can be applied to dermal, buccal, ophthalmic, nasal, vaginal, and other topical surfaces.

Products

Elyzol dental gel - parodontitis

Camurus has partnered with

Colgate-Palmolive The Colgate-Palmolive Company, commonly known as Colgate-Palmolive, is an American multinational corporation, multinational consumer products company headquartered on Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The company specializes in ...

for the marketing of their Elyzol dental gel for the treatment of parodontitis. Elyzol 25% dental gel contains

metronidazole Metronidazole, sold under the brand name Flagyl and Metrogyl among others, is an antibiotic and antiprotozoal medication. It is used either alone or with other antibiotics to treat pelvic inflammatory disease, endocarditis, and bacterial vagino ...

in the form of metronidazole benzoate as the active substance.

Episil - oral mucositis pain

Oral

mucositis Mucositis is the painful inflammation and ulceration of the mucous membranes lining the digestive tract, usually as an adverse effect of chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment for cancer. Mucositis can occur anywhere along the gastrointestinal (G ...

is a severe side-effect of

chemotherapy Chemotherapy (often abbreviated chemo, sometimes CTX and CTx) is the type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs (list of chemotherapeutic agents, chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) in a standard chemotherapy re ...

radiotherapy Radiation therapy or radiotherapy (RT, RTx, or XRT) is a treatment using ionizing radiation, generally provided as part of cancer therapy to either kill or control the growth of malignant cells. It is normally delivered by a linear particle ...

during

treatment, and is often a dose-limiting factor in treatment. episil is administered as a lipid-based liquid that spreads on the intra-oral mucosal surfaces and transforms to a strongly bioadhesive FluidCrystal film that mechanically protects the sensitized and sore

epithelium Epithelium or epithelial tissue is a thin, continuous, protective layer of cells with little extracellular matrix. An example is the epidermis, the outermost layer of the skin. Epithelial ( mesothelial) tissues line the outer surfaces of man ...

of the oral cavity. It has been demonstrated in several clinical trials that episil gives an immediate and significant reduction of pain. This

analgesic An analgesic drug, also called simply an analgesic, antalgic, pain reliever, or painkiller, is any member of the group of drugs used for pain management. Analgesics are conceptually distinct from anesthetics, which temporarily reduce, and in s ...

effect was maintained over at least 8 hours following administration. The treatment was reported to be safe and well tolerated. The product is registered as a medical device in a wide range of countries, including the European Union and the United States.

CAM2029 - growth hormone disorders

CAM2029 is a product for the treatment of

acromegaly Acromegaly is a disorder that results in excess growth of certain parts of the human body. It is caused by excess growth hormone (GH) after the growth plates have closed. The initial symptom is typically enlargement of the hands and feet. There ...

and

carcinoid A carcinoid (also carcinoid tumor) is a slow-growing type of neuroendocrine tumor originating in the cells of the neuroendocrine system. In some cases, metastasis may occur. Carcinoid tumors of the midgut (jejunum, ileum, appendix, and cecum) ...

tumours. CAM2029 was assessed in a

double blind In a blind or blinded experiment, information which may influence the participants of the experiment is withheld until after the experiment is complete. Good blinding can reduce or eliminate experimental biases that arise from a participants' expec ...

, randomized, parallel-group, placebo controlled Phase I trial. CAM2029 is partnered with

Novartis Novartis AG is a Swiss multinational corporation, multinational pharmaceutical company, pharmaceutical corporation based in Basel, Switzerland. Novartis is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world and was the eighth largest by re ...

CAM2032 - prostate cancer

CAM2032 is a new drug being developed for long-term treatment of

prostate cancer Prostate cancer is the neoplasm, uncontrolled growth of cells in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system below the bladder. Abnormal growth of the prostate tissue is usually detected through Screening (medicine), screening tests, ...

, with development also initiated for

endometriosis Endometriosis is a disease in which Tissue (biology), tissue similar to the endometrium, the lining of the uterus, grows in other places in the body, outside the uterus. It occurs in women and a limited number of other female mammals. Endomet ...

. Camurus has completed a Phase IIa clinical trial of CAM2032 in patients with advanced metastatic prostate cancer.

CAM2038 - drug addiction

CAM2038 represents a new treatment concept for

opiate An opiate is an alkaloid substance derived from opium (or poppy straw). It differs from the similar term ''opioid'' in that the latter is used to designate all substances, both natural and synthetic, that bind to opioid receptors in the brain ( ...

addiction based on the well-documented anti-addiction therapeutic

buprenorphine Buprenorphine, sold under the brand name Subutex among others, is an opioid used to treat opioid use disorder, acute pain, and chronic pain. It can be used under the tongue (sublingual), in the cheek (buccal), by injection (intravenous a ...

. CAM2038 is developed as a sustained release injection depot.

References

{{reflist 1991 establishments in Sweden Biotechnology companies of Sweden Biotechnology companies established in 1991 Companies based in Lund Companies listed on Nasdaq Stockholm Pharmaceutical companies of Sweden Pharmaceutical companies established in 1991