Mission:
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Contributes to SDG(s):
Methotrexate is currently the most commonly prescribed basic drug for rheumatoid arthritis worldwide. Sixty to eighty per cent of patients receive this drug. However, the problem is that methotrexate is driven out of cells and tissues too quickly to be optimally effective. With its NovoBioMed technology, Amplio Pharma aims to increase the effectiveness of methotrexate. It does this by adding novobiocin, which acts as a kind of lock-keeper, temporarily inhibiting the outflow pump in the cell (the ‘doors’ through which methotrexate is normally pumped out again), so that methotrexate stays longer in the inflammatory cells and can do its work there more powerfully. Amplio Pharma works with already known substances, therefore much is already known about the safety of these substances and this accelerates the clinical development of the drug. Amplio Pharma is supported in the development of NovoBioJect by an international team of industry veterans and by collaborations with academic centres such as the LUMC and the Amsterdam UMC.
NovoBioJect has an impact not only on patients' quality of life, but also on overall healthcare costs. The higher efficacy allows methotrexate to be prescribed at lower doses. As a result, patients suffer significantly fewer unpleasant side effects such as nausea and fatigue, symptoms that currently affect the quality of life for many rheumatoid arthritis patients. And because more patients can be successfully treated with methotrexate for longer, it takes longer before they have to switch to more expensive therapies. This reduces the cost of care, which benefits society as a whole.
“Amplio Pharma shows that you don't need to spend billions on yet another expensive biological to better help patients. Instead, they use their technology to improve existing, proven drugs so that more patients benefit from what we already have and we keep healthcare affordable. Precisely this type of solution often falls outside the investment mandate of traditional funds, which mainly focus on new, expensive drugs, while there is enormous social value to be gained here. That is why we are extra happy that we can invest in this and thus contribute concretely to a sustainable healthcare system.” - Sara Schaafsma, Investment Manager ROM InWest
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