Debiopharm is a

privately-held A privately held company (or simply a private company) is a company whose shares and related rights or obligations are not offered for public subscription or publicly negotiated in their respective listed markets. Instead, the company's stock is ...

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

biopharmaceutical A biopharmaceutical, also known as a biological medical product, or biologic, is any pharmaceutical drug product manufactured in, extracted from, or semisynthesized from biological sources. Different from totally synthesized pharmaceuticals, t ...

company mainly active in

development Development or developing may refer to: Arts *Development (music), the process by which thematic material is reshaped * Photographic development *Filmmaking, development phase, including finance and budgeting * Development hell, when a proje ...

and clinical testing of drug candidates. It was founded in 1979 by Rolland-Yves Mauvernay. The company now has 2 sites in Lausanne and in Martigny, Switzerland with new building expansion projects in both locations.

History

Rolland-Yves Mauvernay founded Debiopharm in 1979 in

Martigny Martigny (; , ; ) is the capital city of the district of Martigny (district), Martigny, cantons of Switzerland, canton of Canton of Valais, Valais, Switzerland. It lies at an elevation of , and its population is approximately 20,000 inhabitants ( ...

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 ...

. In 1981, the Cytotech laboratory was created and after a few years it became Debio Recherche Pharmaceutique (R.P.), then Debiopharm Research & Manufacturing. Initially, the company worked on

interferon Interferons (IFNs, ) are a group of signaling proteins made and released by host cells in response to the presence of several viruses. In a typical scenario, a virus-infected cell will release interferons causing nearby cells to heighten ...

and, in 1982, it began to focus on

triptorelin Triptorelin, sold under the brand name Decapeptyl among others, is a medication that acts as an agonist analog of gonadotropin-releasing hormone, repressing expression of luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). It is a ...

, after having acquired the rights for its development from

Tulane University The Tulane University of Louisiana (commonly referred to as Tulane University) is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by a cohort of medical doctors, it b ...

. Triptorelin is a

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist A gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRH agonist) is a type of medication which affects gonadotropins and sex hormones. They are used for a variety of indications including in fertility medicine and to lower sex hormone levels in the tre ...

(GnRH agonist) that has been approved for several indications, including advanced

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, ...

and

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 ...

. The first marketing authorization for this medication was obtained in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

in 1986. In 1989, Debiopharm acquired the license for

oxaliplatin Oxaliplatin, sold under the brand name Eloxatin among others, is a cancer medication (platinum-based antineoplastic class) used to treat colorectal cancer. It is given by intravenous, infusion into a vein. Common side effects include paresth ...

, a diaminocyclohexane (DACH) platin, from

Nagoya City University , abbreviated to , is a public university in Japan. The main campus (Kawasumi) is located in Mizuho-ku, Nagoya City. Other three campuses (Yamanohata, Tanabe-dori and Kita Chikusa) are also located in the city. History Nagoya City Universit ...

. The drug was first approved in Europe in 1996 and became a

standard treatment The standard treatment, also known as the standard of care, is the medical treatment that is normally provided to people with a given condition. In many scientific studies, the control group receives the standard treatment rather than a placebo w ...

in metastatic colorectal cancer. Since launch, triptorelin and oxaliplatin have generated several billion dollars in revenue for the company. Since 2004, after having occupied different premises in

Lausanne Lausanne ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest List of towns in Switzerland, city of the Swiss French-speaking Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud, in Switzerland. It is a hilly city situated on the shores of Lake Geneva, about halfway bet ...

, Debiopharm moved its headquarters to a new building: what became "Après-demain Forum" had been initially designed by architect

Jean Tschumi Jean André Tschumi (born 14 February 1904 Plainpalaisp. 117 – 25 January 1962He was discovered by customs officers at Vallorbe, in an overnight train coming from Paris)p. 131) was a Swiss architect and professor at the . A member of the mod ...

as the headquarters commodity trading giant Andre and is a cultural property of national significance. In 2005, Debiopharm acquired the Canadian company H3 Pharma, rebranded Debiovision, to support the development and worldwide registration of its medicines. The company's business model relies on establishing partnerships and research agreements with other companies or universities to develop new molecules and run clinical trials before licensing them in case of success. It partnered for instance in 2009 with US-based MSM Protein Technologies to work on a new oncology treatment, in 2011 with

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

as part of an agreement to develop and commercialise medicine for

autoimmune In immunology, autoimmunity is the system of immune responses of an organism against its own healthy cells, tissues and other normal body constituents. Any disease resulting from this type of immune response is termed an " autoimmune disease" ...

and

inflammatory disease Inflammation (from ) is part of the biological response of body tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or Irritation, irritants. The five cardinal signs are heat, pain, redness, swelling, and Functio laesa, loss of funct ...

s, in 2014 with German company Evotec to identify and develop compounds to treat a variety of cancers, or with Canadian company Nobelex Biotech (also in 2014) to develop antibiotics targeting

Neisseria gonorrhoeae ''Neisseria gonorrhoeae'', also known as ''gonococcus'' (singular) or ''gonococci'' (plural), is a species of Gram-negative diplococci bacteria first isolated by Albert Ludwig Sigesmund Neisser, Albert Neisser in 1879. An obligate human pathog ...

and enteric species. In March 2021,

Merck KGaA The Merck Group, branded and commonly known as Merck, is a German Multinational corporation, multinational science and technology company headquartered in Darmstadt, with about 60,000 employees and a presence in 66 countries. The group include ...

announced the acquisition of Debiopharm's xevinapant program in

head and neck cancer Head and neck cancer is a general term encompassing multiple cancers that can develop in the head and neck region. These include cancers of the mouth, tongue, gums and lips (oral cancer), voice box ( laryngeal), throat ( nasopharyngeal, orophary ...

for 900 million euros, then dropped the project in 2024. In September 2024, ITM Isotope Technologies Munich announced the exclusive global license for the clinical and commercial development of Debioharm’s radiopharmaceutical peptide-based, theranostic pair ITM-91/ITM-94D (Debio 0328/0228).

Structure and subsidiaries

Debiopharm is the Life Science division of the holding company Après-demain (litt. ''"The Day after Tomorrow''") with three subsidiaries active in drug development (Debiopharm International), drug manufacturing (Debiopharm Research & Manufacturing) and investment (Debiopharm Innovation Fund): * Debiopharm International in-licenses product candidates or technologies, develops them into medicines, and then licenses them to third parties for commercialization. This subsidiary is mainly focused on the development of medicines in the fields of

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 ...

and

infectious disease An infection is the invasion of tissue (biology), tissues by pathogens, their multiplication, and the reaction of host (biology), host tissues to the infectious agent and the toxins they produce. An infectious disease, also known as a transmis ...

s, from

preclinical development In drug development, preclinical development (also termed preclinical studies or nonclinical studies) is a stage of research that begins before clinical trials (testing in humans) and during which important feasibility, iterative testing and dr ...

to full approval of new treatments. * Debiopharm Research & Manufacturing (formerly known as Debio R.P.), based in

, is a pharmaceutical research, development and production company. The

Swissmedic The Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products (Swissmedic) is the Swiss surveillance authority for medicines and medical devices, registered in Bern. It began operations on 1 January 2002 as successor of ''Interkantonale Kontrollstelle für Heilmittel ...

-certified production site was renovated and expanded in 2015. Debiopharm Research & Manufacturing provides

contract manufacturing A contract manufacturer (CM) is a manufacturer that contracts with a firm for components or products (in which case it is a turnkey supplier). It is a form of outsourcing. A contract manufacturer performing packaging operations is called copacker ...

and

contract research A contract is an agreement that specifies certain legally enforceable rights and obligations pertaining to two or more parties. A contract typically involves consent to transfer of goods, services, money, or promise to transfer any of those at ...

services to Debiopharm. * Debiopharm Innovation Fund provides

venture capital Venture capital (VC) is a form of private equity financing provided by firms or funds to start-up company, startup, early-stage, and emerging companies, that have been deemed to have high growth potential or that have demonstrated high growth in ...

for Digital Health companies. The Fund notably invested in Carevive (US-based oncology-focused technology company) in 2020, VivoSense (medical technology) in 2022 and Iktos (

artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is the capability of computer, computational systems to perform tasks typically associated with human intelligence, such as learning, reasoning, problem-solving, perception, and decision-making. It is a field of re ...

applied to new drug discoveries) in 2023. It also successfully exited Finnish oncology startup Kaiku Health, which was bought in 2020 by Swedish giant

Elekta Elekta is a global Swedish company that develops and produces radiation therapy and radiosurgery-related equipment and clinical management for the treatment of cancer and brain disorders. Elekta has a global presence in more than 120 countries, w ...

. Until 2020, the subsidiary Debiopharm Investment SA managed the group's asset management activities. This subsidiary was merged and its former activities are now directly taken over by the holding company Après-demain SA.

Products

Debiopharm is known for the development of

and

, two drugs that became

standards of care In tort law, the standard of care is the only degree of prudence and caution required of an individual who is under a duty of care. The requirements of the standard are closely dependent on circumstances. Whether the standard of care has been b ...

for the treatment of various types of

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 ...

and are listed on the

World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines The WHO Model List of Essential Medicines (aka Essential Medicines List or EML), published by the World Health Organization (WHO), contains the medications considered to be most effective and safe to meet the most important needs in a health s ...

Currently marketed

Triptorelin Triptorelin, sold under the brand name Decapeptyl among others, is a medication that acts as an agonist analog of gonadotropin-releasing hormone, repressing expression of luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). It is a ...

is a

gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist A gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRH agonist) is a type of medication which affects gonadotropins and sex hormones. They are used for a variety of indications including in fertility medicine and to lower sex hormone levels in the tre ...

(GnRH agonist) approved for several indications, including

and

, under the names Decapeptyl, Neo Decapeptyl, Trelstar and Pamorelin. This molecule is also marketed in several European countries as Salvacyl and Moapar as a three-month treatment for sexual deviance. *

Oxaliplatin Oxaliplatin, sold under the brand name Eloxatin among others, is a cancer medication (platinum-based antineoplastic class) used to treat colorectal cancer. It is given by intravenous, infusion into a vein. Common side effects include paresth ...

is a diaminocyclohexane (DACH)-platinum which has become a standard treatment for

colorectal cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the Colon (anatomy), colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include Lower gastrointestinal ...

s, as well as

gastric The stomach is a muscular, hollow organ in the upper gastrointestinal tract of humans and many other animals, including several invertebrates. The Ancient Greek name for the stomach is ''gaster'' which is used as ''gastric'' in medical terms re ...

and

liver cancer Liver cancer, also known as hepatic cancer, primary hepatic cancer, or primary hepatic malignancy, is cancer that starts in the liver. Liver cancer can be primary in which the cancer starts in the liver, or it can be liver metastasis, or secondar ...

s under the names Eloxatin (marketed by

Sanofi Sanofi S.A. is a French Multinational corporation, multinational pharmaceutical and healthcare company headquartered in Paris, France. The corporation was established in 1973 and merged with Synthélabo in 1999 to form Sanofi-Synthélabo. In 200 ...

), Elplat, Dacotin or Dacplat.

Under development

Early-stage treatments being developed by Debiopharm are referred to by code names such as "Debio 4 digit number. In 2020, Debiopharm signed a global license and research agreement with German biotech 3B Pharmaceuticals (3BP) to work on "Debio 0228", a treatment targeting the CAIX ( Carbonic anhydrase 9) enzyme to fight the progression of cancer. As part of their partnership-focused business model, in 2024, Debio 0228 was out-licensed to ITM Isotope Technologies Munich. Other drug candidates under development include: * Xevinapant is a potent, orally available

inhibitor of apoptosis Inhibitors of apoptosis are a group of proteins that mainly act on the intrinsic pathway that block programmed cell death, which can frequently lead to cancer or other effects for the cell if mutated or improperly regulated. Many of these inhibito ...

proteins. xevinapant has proven to be efficient in high-risk patients with locally advanced

squamous-cell carcinoma Squamous-cell carcinoma (SCC), also known as epidermoid carcinoma, comprises a number of different types of cancer that begin in squamous cells. These cells form on the surface of the skin, on the lining of hollow organs in the body, and on the ...

of the head and neck (LASCCHN). In March 2021, an exclusive license agreement has been granted to

for 900 million euros for further development and commercialisation of xevinapant. Merck dropped the project in 2024. * Afabicin is an

enoyl-acyl carrier protein reductase Enoyl-acyl carrier protein reductase (ENR or FabI) (), is a key enzyme of the type II fatty acid synthesis (FAS) system. ENR is an attractive target for narrow-spectrum antibacterial drug discovery because of its essential role in metabolism and i ...

inhibitor and an antistaphylococcal antibiotic, to address acute bacterial

skin and skin structure infection 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 ...

s. * Debio 0123, a WEE1

inhibitor Inhibitor or inhibition may refer to: Biology * Enzyme inhibitor, a substance that binds to an enzyme and decreases the enzyme's activity * Reuptake inhibitor, a substance that increases neurotransmission by blocking the reuptake of a neurotransmi ...

for the treatment of

glioblastoma Glioblastoma, previously known as glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), is the most aggressive and most common type of cancer that originates in the brain, and has a very poor prognosis for survival. Initial signs and symptoms of glioblastoma are nons ...

. * Debio 1562M, a second-generation ADC directed against

CD37 Leukocyte antigen CD37 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''CD37'' gene. Function The protein encoded by this gene is a member of the transmembrane 4 superfamily, also known as the tetraspanin family. Most of these members are cell ...

and including Multilink cleavable linker-payload technology in pre-clinical research for the treatment of some blood cancers including

Acute Myeloid Leukemia Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a cancer of the myeloid line of blood cells, characterized by the rapid growth of abnormal cells that build up in the bone marrow and blood and interfere with haematopoiesis, normal blood cell production. Sympt ...

(AML) and

Myelodysplastic syndromes A myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is one of a group of cancers in which blood cells in the bone marrow do not mature, and as a result, do not develop into healthy blood cells. Early on, no symptoms typically are seen. Later, symptoms may includ ...

(MDS) * Debio 4126, a sustained-release formulation of

somatostatin analogue Somatostatin, also known as growth hormone-inhibiting hormone (GHIH) or by several other names, is a peptide hormone that regulates the endocrine system and affects neurotransmission and cell proliferation via interaction with G protein-coupl ...

(SSA) therapy 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 ...

* Debio 4326 a

gonadotropin-releasing hormone Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) is a releasing hormone responsible for the release of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) from the anterior pituitary. GnRH is a tropic peptide hormone synthesized and rele ...

agonist therapy for

central precocious puberty In medicine, precocious puberty is puberty occurring at an unusually early age. In most cases, the process is normal in every aspect except the unusually early age and simply represents a variation of normal development. There is early developm ...

References

External links

Official website
{{Coord, 46, 30, 54, N, 6, 38, 28, E, region:CH-VD_type:landmark_source:kolossus-frwiki, display=title Pharmaceutical companies Multinational companies headquartered in Switzerland Pharmaceutical companies of Switzerland Biotechnology companies of Switzerland Biotechnology companies established in 1979 Companies based in Lausanne Pharmaceutical companies established in 1979