Skyepharma is specialized in developing and manufacturing complex and classic oral solid dosage forms. Our activities therefore cover a wide range of therapeutic indications.
All the way through drug development and manufacturing process, our teams work with the objective of providing the most appropriate treatment to address patients’ needs. As of today, we are working on oral solid drugs to treat 18 diseases covering different therapeutic indications:
Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy
On our production site in Saint-Quentin-Fallavier (near Lyon, France), we are manufacturing dopaminergic drugs, including some combo-APIs one, that are used to treat Parkinson’s disease.
Around 10 million people worldwide are living with Parkinson’s disease. Each year, 60,000 Americans are diagnosed with this illness.[1] . The disease is characterized by the destruction of dopamine neurons, disrupting neuron networks. It is therefore a progressive disease that can lead to a loss of autonomy and the inability to walk, and the most well-known symptoms are akinesia, tremors and hypertonia.
Dopaminergic anti-parkinsonian treatments therefore aim to control the motor symptoms associated with the pathology.
We are also producing anti-epileptics on our manufacturing facility. Epileptic seizures are caused by an unusual electrical activity of nerve cells in the cerebral cortex. When it occurs in a specific area of the brain it is called “partial epilepsy” and when it affects all neurons, it is then generalized. The treatment that we’re working on aims to reduce the frequency and intensity of these seizures and in the best-case scenario even make them disappear.
Respiratory diseases
Some of the medicines developed or produced by Skyepharma are used in the treatment of asthma. It is a chronic respiratory disease with symptoms called “attacks” that are episodes of respiratory difficulty. Inflammation can lead to various consequences in the airways (edema, mucus secretion, contraction of the bronchial muscles) that cause obstruction of the bronchial tubes. Inflammation can be caused by effort, anxiety, cold, pollution or allergens in the professional environment. More than 339 million people had asthma globally in 2016[2] .
The product made at Skyepharma aims to inhibit the lipoxygenase and leukotrienes responsible for muscle contractions. Other immunodeficiency treatments also exist, to target APDS, which is a genetic disease that causes respiratory infections and immune disturbances.
Cardiovascular diseases
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the world. This is around 18 million deaths per year. In the European Region, it causes more than half of all deaths[3]. This disease represents all disorders affecting the heart and blood vessels. It is preventable because many of them are linked to people habits and lifestyle, such as: smoking, unbalanced diet, lack of sporting activity, use of alcohol without moderation and stress. 80% of premature heart disease is preventable. In addition, there are also genetic factors such as age and diabetes.
To prevent this disease from happening people can start by reducing the consumption of alcohol and tobacco, doing regular physical activity and improving their diets by eating more fruit and vegetables. When the dysfunction becomes pathologic, medicinal treatments are then prescribed, some of which are manufactured on our site:
- The treatment of hypercholesterolemia: we are producing tablets to reduce the level of fats circulating in the blood, mainly cholesterol and triglycerides. It is used in addition to non-drug measures (dietetic, sports, …).
- Arrhythmia with atrial fibrillation: beta-blockers are used to block the action of adrenaline in the heart. This tablet we manufacture has antiarrhythmic properties.
- Hypertension treatments: beta-blockers are used here too, and especially calcium channel blockers. By acting on calcium channels, these inhibitors cause vasodilatation of the arteries, which reduces peripheral resistance and lowers blood pressure.
- In the case of hypotension which leads to neurodegenerative diseases, the active ingredient used in the treatment,
- Angina pectoris: these vasodilator drugs prevent the development of angina pectoris attacks.
Diabetes
Skyepharma is manufacturing drugs for the treatment of NASH (non-alcoholic steato hepatis), which affects about 5% of adults in USA[4]. NASH refers to all diseases characterized by the accumulation of fats in the liver. A diet rich in sugars and fats is often responsible. Every year, around 1 million people in South-East Asia Region die from consequences of high blood sugar[5]. A sedentary lifestyle also has a big impact. People who suffer from diabetes or obesity have a higher risk of developing this disease. NASH prevalence is expected to increase by 63% between 2015 and 2030[6]. The medicines produced contain insulin or mineral supplements. These drugs reduce the blood sugar level, diabetes is then lowered. By decreasing the impact of diabetes, the risk of developing NASH is lower.
Anemia
Anemia is characterized by an abnormal drop in the hemoglobin level in the blood. There are many causes of Anemia but deficiencies in iron, vitamin B12 or B9 remain the most common.
The drugs produced on our site are therefore anti-anemic drugs that compensate for vitamin B12 deficiency or vitamin B derivatives.
Rheumatology
Rheumatoid arthritis is a severe inflammatory disease that affects the joints. These are gradually destroyed, leading to disability. It is an autoimmune disease that most often affects women and smokers. It is caused by genetic predispositions.
At Skyepharma we produce drugs for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis symptoms. These non-steroidal anti-inflammatory & steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs help reducing the pain associated with the disease. Moreover, the specific long-acting formulation developed by Skyepharma allows to prevent, with an evening take, the morning stiffness usually associated to the arthritis.
Contact us if you have projects in these therapeutic indications and need modified release forms. Skyepharma’s team has a superior experience and expertise in these therapeutic indications. Our modified release technologies provide greater drug efficiency and patient compliance.
We are committed to patients health and comfort through the support we provide to our customers in terms of supply chain reliability and product quality.
For more information about our formulation and manufacturing capabilities, please visit our page here or read our article here.
References
[6] C.Estes, H.Razavi and R.Loomba, Modeling the epidemic of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease demonstrates an exponential increase in burden of disease. January 2018, 123-133.