History
The start-up EryDel (acronym of ERYthrocyte DELivery) has been founded on February 2007, based in Urbino (PU, Italy). The Company background takes origin from the intense research activity of Prof. Mauro Magnani and co-workers at Urbino University, on the use of red blood cells (RBCs) as carriers and bioreactors. In 1998 a new patent has been filed covering a totally new procedure for the encapsulation of drugs and active agents within RBCs and an apparatus for performing the same (US patent 6,139,836; EU patent 882448; Japan patent 123228).
The first clinical applications were developed by encapsulation of the corticosteroid analogue dexamethasone sodium phosphate into patients RBCs (named EryDex). The clinical studies results showed an absolutely innovative pharmacokinetics (low drug doses constantly bioavailable for many days after a single administration) that allowed to reach impressive efficacy but completely avoiding corticosteroid side effects.
Three important pathologies such as cystic fibrosis, inflammatory bowel diseases and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, have been already explored with EryDex with around 250 patients treated and 2,200 treatments administered.
The EryDex treatment onSteroid Dependant Inflammatory Bowel Diseases patients (either Crohn’s Disease or Ulcerative Colitis) demonstrated previously unmeet capability of withdrawing oral steroid therapy while keeping the remission of the disease.
Based on these results, on 2004, the European Community through E.M.E.A. granted the designation of “Orphan Drug” to “Dexamethasone Sodium Phosphate for encapsulation in human erythrocytes for treatment of Cystic Fibrosis” (Orphan Drug Designation EMEA/OD/039/04-EU/3/04/230).
These results have opened the application of EryDex to many other important inflammatory diseases not yet explored, such as rheumatoid arthritis, in-stent restenosis, organ transplantation, autoimmune diseases, steroid dependency, treatment of myasthenia gravis and all the pathologies that could benefit from long period of steroid treatment without side effects. |
