With biotech being one of the greatest technological sectors in the modern world, bio-industries are thriving up more rapidly than ever before, and the products and services they deliver are promising. Most of the biotech companies rising up in the world are biopharmaceuticals, biomedicals, and those providing therapeutics in areas of unmet medical need. However, there are also biotech companies developing bio-synthetic products, agricultural products, biochemicals, and biorefineries.
Promising Biotech Companies
Here is a list of ten biotech companies (arranged in no particular order) from around the world, which are expected to bring noteworthy developments in the upcoming months of 2019. (Top Biotech Companies)
1. Enterome Bioscience
Founded in 2008 and based in Paris, Enterome develops disease management solutions and products based on the molecular understanding of the role of the human gut microbiome. One of the largest of its kind, the company focuses on developing innovative therapeutic approaches (drugs and biomarkers) to support personalized medicine for microbiome-related diseases. Enterome Bioscience’s pipeline of products and services include drugs for targeting specific gut bacteria associated with Crohn’s disease, treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD), microbiome-derived cancer vaccines for targeting tumor antigens present in microbiome of patients, and therapeutic programs for the discovery of new drug candidates in IBD, Crohn’s disease and for diverse type of cancer such as glioblastoma, colon, pancreatic, lung and breast.
2. Virion Biotherapeutics
Virion Biotherapeutics is an England-based company founded in 2017 to provide therapeutics against human respiratory virus infections through its unique TIP (Therapeutic Interfering Particles) modality. TIPs are first-in-class biologicals that interfere with viral replication, preventing infection, and alleviating disease. The company’s proprietary TIP, VH244 is an optimized RNA molecule that hijacks the replication machinery of influenza A virus, thus preventing viral replication and suppressing the disease. Currently, VH244 is in a pre-clinical development phase.
3. Alnylam Pharmaceuticals
Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Alnylam’s foundation dates back to 2002. The biopharmaceutical company uses RNA interference (RNAi) to innovate medicines to potentially address the needs of patients in genetic diseases, cardio-metabolic diseases, hepatic infectious diseases, and central nervous system and ocular diseases. One of its genetic medicine Onpattro, a Patisiran, is already approved for clinical use, while seven of them are in late-stage clinical development phase along with an inclisiran against Hypercholesterolemia, a cardio-metabolic disease; and ALN-HBV02 against HBV infection.
4. AMSilk
AMSilk is a German biotech company based in Munich and was founded in 2008 to produce synthetic biological products. AMSilk produces and distributes increasing volumes of high-quality silk biopolymers for use in textile products, medical devices, and cosmetics. The company specializes in developing biodegradable polymers made of recombinant spider silk produced by engineered bacteria. It has created biodegradable shoes for Adidas and has recently signed an agreement with Airbus to develop light-weight composite material made from artificial spider silk to revolutionize aerospace design. The companies are expecting to produce their first prototype in 2019.
5. Avantium Technologies
Founded in 2000 and headquartered in Amsterdam, Avantium Technologies is a biotech company developing sustainable products, including bioplastics, chemicals, and biofuels made from biobased materials. The company produces polyethylene furanoate (PEF), a biobased recyclable polymer with potential benefits over polyethylene terephthalate (PET) attributed by significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and non-renewable energy use. Avantium is developing PlantBottle for the Coca-Cola company and yogurt cups for Danone, French food-products company. The company is also expecting to commercialize renewable solvents and zero waste lingo-cellulosic biorefineries.
6. Celyad
Celyad is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company founded in 2004 and headquartered in Mont-Saint-Guibert, Belgium. The company specializes in CAR-T cell-based therapies for developing advanced technologies aimed at treating severe diseases with poor prognosis such as cancer. Celyad is focused on accelerating its clinical development strategy for Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) and Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Its lead drug product candidate CYAD-01 is applicable against five solid tumors, such as colorectal, ovarian, bladder, triple-negative breast, and pancreatic cancers, and two hematological cancers: myeloid leukemia and multiple myeloma; and CYAD-101 is suitable to reduce or eliminate Graft vs. Host diseases.
7. Mannkind Corporation
Headquartered in Westlake Village, California, Mannkind Corp is a biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery, development, and commercialization of therapeutic products for patients with diseases such as diabetes and pulmonary arterial hypertension. The company’s unique product Afrezza, the only inhaled rapid-acting mealtime insulin in the United States, was approved by the FDA in 2014. Currently, the company is developing Treprostinil, a vasodilator for pulmonary arterial hypertension, which is already in the third phase of the clinical trial, an epinephrine-based drug for anaphylaxis and a palonosetron for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, both being in pre-IND phase.
8. AELIX Therapeutics
AELIX Therapeutics is a biotechnology company located in Barcelona, Spain since its establishment in 2015. AELIX focuses on the development of a therapeutic HIV vaccine based on an innovative T-cell vaccine immunogen design that directs the body’s immune defense to the most vulnerable parts of HIV. A First-in-Human phase I study of its clinical trial supplies in HIV-infected individuals has been started and is set to enter the phase II Proof-of-Concept efficacy trial.
9. Gilead Sciences
Gilead is a biopharmaceutical company based in Foster City, California that researches, develops and commercializes innovative medicines focusing primarily on antiviral drugs used in the treatment of HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, cancer, inflammatory and respiratory diseases, and cardiovascular conditions. Gilead is expected to deliver lots of late-stage clinical results in 2019 including filgotinib in treating rheumatoid arthritis, selonsertib in treating nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide in HIV PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis).
10. Biogen
The Cambridge-based American multinational biotechnology company Biogen was founded in 1978 in Geneva to manufacture and deliver therapies for the treatment of neurological, hematological, and autoimmune disorders. The company’s mAb for Alzheimer’s, Aducanumab is expected to be filed soon. Similarly, other phase 3 drugs include BIIB093 for stroke, BIIB092 for multiple sclerosis, and Elenbecestat for Alzheimer’s disease.
In Conclusion
The near future looks promising for the field of biotechnology. Like how it has been since the past few years, 2019 seems to keep the momentum in terms of innovation, and development of existing products and services in areas of health, therapeutics, synthetic biology, molecular biology, agriculture, biorefineries and biofuel, and many more.
