Leiden, The Netherlands, 22 June 2012 – Prosensa, the Dutch biopharmaceutical company focusing on rare diseases with a high unmet medical need, has won the Emerging Star accolade at last night’s European Mediscience Awards.
The European Mediscience Awards is the largest annual gathering of private and publicly quoted healthcare, biotech and life science companies in Europe recognising achievements in the life sciences industry. Supported by Peel Hunt, the inaugural Emerging Star Award celebrates the achievements of a private or young public mediscience company that has demonstrable credibility in terms of business model/strategy, management team and financing. The winner’s focus on innovation is also key, with its technology/IP capable of significant market impact or disruption.
Collecting the award, Dr.Giles Campion, Prosensa’s Chief Medical Officer and SVP Research & Development said: “We are very pleased to be recognised by the European Mediscience judging panel. This prestigious award is an additional motivation in our efforts to help patients and their families affected by rare, progressively debilitating diseases.”
Prosensa has the most advanced portfolio of drug candidates for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), with two compounds in clinical trials in partnership with GlaxoSmithKline and four additional compounds in late stage pre-clinical development. Prosensa’s DMD compounds are based on its proprietary exon-skipping technology that uses antisense oligonucleotides to restore expression of a functional dystrophin protein and to provide potential treatment for patients affected by this progressively debilitating neuromuscular disease. The company recently raised €23 million in a private equity financing round and is supported by a consortium of investors including Abingworth, Gimv, Idinvest Partners, Life Sciences Partners, MedSciences Capital and New Enterprise Associates. The other companies shortlisted for the Mediscience “Emerging Star Award” were BioCartis NV, Oxford Nanopore Technologies Ltd and Sphere Medical Ltd.
