~ ATIR201™ on track to enter Phase I/II clinical development in Q1 2016 ~
Amsterdam, The Netherlands, December 21, 2015 – Kiadis Pharma N.V. (“Kiadis Pharma” or the “Company”) (Euronext Amsterdam and Brussels: KDS), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative T-cell immunotherapy treatments for blood cancers and inherited blood disorders, today announces a collaboration with the Thalassaemia International Federation (TIF), an internationally renowned organisation that seeks to address the needs of patients, carers, healthcare professionals and the general public in the area of thalassaemia, an inherited blood disorder which results in improper oxygen transport and destruction of red blood cells in a patient.
With support of international thalassaemia experts, through the extensive network of the TIF, Kiadis Pharma aims to develop innovative products to improve treatment of thalassaemia patients and will be entering clinical development in the first quarter of 2016. Kiadis Pharma believes that its product ATIR201™ has the potential to address the current risks and limitations connected with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), being graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), opportunistic infections and limited donor availability, and make HSCT a first-choice treatment of β-thalassaemia major.
The collaboration will allow the TIF to further expand its international educational and awareness programs for patients and health-care professionals, with a specific focus on hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) as a curative treatment for thalassaemia patients.
Manfred Rüdiger, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of Kiadis Pharma, commented: “Given our commitment to thalassaemia, we are pleased to be working closely with the Thalassaemia International Federation. The collaboration will give Kiadis Pharma the opportunity to obtain valuable scientific feedback, advice and support in further developing innovative treatments for thalassaemia patients.”
Androulla Eleftheriou, Executive Director of Thalassaemia International Federation (TIF), added: “We look forward to working more closely with Kiadis Pharma. The collaboration will allow us to further expand on our ongoing educational and awareness programs supporting patients, carers and health care professionals in their efforts to successfully treat thalassaemia. The possibility of reducing the risks of HSCT will allow the cure of a greater number of patients, satisfying the very existence of TIF.”
About Thalassaemia International Federation
The Thalassaemia International Federation (TIF) is a non-profit, non-governmental umbrella organisation founded in 1986 by a small group of patients and parents representing mainly National Thalassaemia Associations in Cyprus, Greece, UK, USA and Italy – countries where thalassaemia was first recognised as an important public health issue and where the first programmes for its control, including prevention and clinical management, began to be promoted and implemented. TIF’s membership today includes 190 members from 61 countries. TIF works in official relations with the World Health organisation (WHO) since 1996 and with a number of other official health bodies and patient oriented organisations. TIF’s mission is to promote optimal quality care for all patients with thalassaemia worldwide. More information is available at www.thalassaemia.org.cy.
