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From left to right, Julio Castro, CEO of Palobiofarma, and Marc Martinell, CEO of Minoryx (Photo: © CataloniaBio, Anna Mas).
 11.03.2016

Minoryx Therapeutics and Palobiofarma receive the 2016 Biosuccess Award

The Catalan Association of Biotechnology Companies (CataloniaBio) has recognized with the Biosuccess Award of the Year two companies associated with the Barcelona Science Park (PCB): Minoryx Therapeutics, which has just finished setting up their lab facilities at PCB, and Palobiofarma, which was based at the Parc from 2010 to 2013. The award giving ceremony was held yesterday at Palau de Pedralbes under his winter networking event CataloniaBio Gala Dinner, which this year coincided with the 10th anniversary and gathered more than 250 entrepreneurs, investors, researchers and professionals from the fields of the life sciences and health. 

 

Minoryx succeeded in raising the largest round of funding for a  biotech in Catalonia ever attained, amounting to 19.4 million Euros, and is considered by international investors as a very promising company in the field of rare diseases. This funding will be used to expand the team and facilities the company has at  the Tecnocampus Mataro and at the Parc Cientific de Barcelona, especially in the area of R & D for the development of the drug MIN-102 for the treatment of adrenoleukodystrophy (X-ALD) to clinical validation.

CEO, Marc Martinell, collected the award on behalf of the company. “The industry has changed a lot withhin the last ten years. It is important that we continue to share this knowledge and CataloniaBio is key to this ” Martinell said.

In 2015, Palobiofarma closed  a license agreement with Novartis for the development of new cancer drugs. The biotech has given the pharmaceutical company the rights to its drug PBF-509, which is in phase I clinical trials for the treatment of lung cancer  and in return will receive 13 million Euros although the agreement establishes that Novartis will make payments for development and commercialization milestones and percentual payments when the drug is marketed. Representing the company, the award was received by its CEO, Julio Castro, who stressed that the company´s success lies in “our investors, collaborators and Family, Friends and Fools.”

2016 CataloniaBio Gala Dinner

This year CataloniaBio Gala Dinner was hosted at the Palau de Pedralbes yesterday bringing together more than 250 entrepreneurs, investors, researchers and professionals in the field of life sciences and health with the aim of enhancing scientific-business cooperation in Catalonia.

The event organised by business association CataloniaBio that this year has coincided with the its 10th anniversary, was chaired by the Minister of Health, Antoni Comín i Oliveres, and the Minister of Business and Enterprise, Jordi Baiget i Cantons.

” 2015 was a significant year in our sector. Only with five companies -Minoryx Therapeutics, Sanifit, Palobiofarma, Oryzon and  Aelix Therapeutics- we were able to raise over 100 million Euros that will be allocated to new medicines, new jobs and to contract clinical services… This growth is not easy to see in many areas. Investors are corroborating their commitment” emphasized the President of CataloniaBio and CEO of Reig Jofre, Ignasi Biosca. Biosca also stressed the importance of the two ministries of the Government of Catalonia, Health and Business and Enterprise” both supporting the business concept, knowledge and research in health.”

 

• For a full report, please access: CataloniaBio website [+]