ZELTIA SA Zeltia Group celebrates 75 years
A commemorative event entitled "75 years of innovation" was attended by Mr Alberto Núñez Feijóo, President of the Galicia Regional Government
One milestone was the first Phase I oncological clinical trial performed in Spain: with PharmaMar's anti-tumour drug, Aplidin, in
1999.
Santiago de Compostela, 18 November 2014.- Zeltia Group recently celebrated its anniversary: 75 years of innovation in biotechnology and chemistry in Spain. The company, founded in Galicia in 1939, celebrated the occasion with a commemorative event in Santiago de Compostela which highlighted its track record and growth from inception.
The event, entitled "75 years of innovation", underlined Zeltia Group's ongoing commitment to innovation. "Its research has always been its greatest contribution to society, reflecting a solid tradition from the very outset," said Zeltia Group chairman, José María Fernández Sousa-Faro. At the event, the chairman described the main events of the Group's history, which have helped to advance and expand the scope of the biotechnology and chemical sectors.
More than 1,800 patents in 75 years, close to 600 million euro spent on R&D, and over 120 clinical trials are some of Zeltia Group's numbers as part of its commitment to advancing R&D and innovation so as to continue improving the quality of life of patients with illnesses for which there is not yet an effective treatment, such as cancer and glaucoma.
Referring to the company's most important milestones in terms of health, a round table discussion noted the crucial role of PharmaMar in conducting Spain's first Phase I clinical trial in cancer; that was in 1999, with Aplidin, one of the company's first marine-based anti-tumour drugs. Several people who played a key role in that process-Mr José Manuel Romay Beccaría, current Chairman of Spain's Council of State and former Minister of Health and Consumer Affairs from 1996 to 2000; Dr Josep Torrent-Farnell, current Head of the Clinical Pharmacology Department at Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau in Barcelona and former Director of the
Spanish Medicines Agency from 1998 to 2000; and Dr Hernán Cortés-Funes, Head of Medical Oncology at 12 de Octubre University Hospital in Madrid-provided their vision of that joint initiative between the Spanish pharmaceutical industry and public institutions, and the implications of this pioneering action in biomedicine in Spain.
As part of PharmaMar's line of oncology research, the company also underlined that Yondelis® was the first marine-based anti-tumour drug to be developed and sold worldwide. This product was authorised by the European Commission for the treatment of soft tissue sarcoma in 2007 and for relapsed ovarian cancer in 2009; it is now available in more than 80 countries.
Zeltia Group's perseverance in innovation, its success in healthcare and its Galician roots were evident in the presentations given by Mr Alberto Núñez Feijóo, President of the Galicia Regional Government; Ms Pilar Farjas Abadía, General Secretary for Health at the Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality; and Ms Teresa Gutiérrez López, first Deputy Mayor of Santiago de Compostela.
75 years at the service of innovation
Zeltia Group was founded in 1939 to exploit the chemical and pharmaceutical properties of raw materials and medicinal plants produced in Spain. From inception, it was led by a notable group of scientists, among them Professor Calvet, and other distinguished professors from the schools of Medicine, Science and Pharmacy at the University of Santiago de Compostela.
In 1949, the group played an active role in founding Antibióticos S.A., a leading company in fermentation and a top player in the pharmaceutical market in Spain and internationally. In the 1960s, it extended its scientific and commercial relations abroad, which gave rise to the medical, agrochemical, insecticide and veterinary divisions. During that time, the group was organised into three companies with different specialities: Zeltia Agraria, for agriculture; ICI Pharma, for medicines for human use; and Cooper-Zeltia, for veterinary products.
The company is currently divided into two areas of innovation. The first includes Zelnova, which develops chemical products for consumers and is a leader in the manufacture and sale of home care products in Spain, and Xylazel, which produces wood protection paints and varnishes and special-purpose paints for specific health issues and healthcare environments.
The second area focuses on innovation through biotechnology, and includes Sylentis, which develops drugs using RNA interference technology to treat high- impact illnesses such as glaucoma and eye pain, and Genómica, which is specialised in molecular diagnostics for clinical use and is a leader in genetic identification and a pioneer in setting up genetic fingerprinting labs.
However, the flagship company in biotechnology is PharmaMar, founded in 1986 to research, develop, produce and market marine-based anti-tumour drugs. PharmaMar is responsible for Yondelis® and Aplidin® and its promising compounds PM01183 and PM60184 are at different stages of clinical development for a range of tumour types.
Zeltia Group continues to research and innovate in biomedicine, collaborating actively with hospitals, research centres and universities worldwide in pursuit of continued expansion to expand in Spain and other countries.
About Zeltia
Zeltia S.A. is a world-leading biopharmaceutical company specialised in the development of marine- based drugs for use in oncology. Grupo Zeltia consists mainly of the following companies: PharmaMar, the world-leading biotechnology company in advancing cancer care through the discovery and development of innovative marine-derived medicines; Genómica, Spain's leading company in molecular diagnostics based on DNA analysis; and Sylentis, dedicated to researching therapeutic applications of gene silencing (RNAi).
For more information +34 91 444 4500
This note is also available on the Zeltia website: www.zeltia.com
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