Dutch biopharmaceutical company IQ Corporation (IQ) announced today that it has received a grant of €1 million from the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs for further development of its anthrax antitoxin human monoclonal antibody (IQNLF) program.
“The ‘Uitdagerskrediet’ enables us to take the IQNLF development program to the stage of file submission at the FDA” says Roland Lageveen, IQ’s Chief Executive Officer. “The IQNLF is the lead product of IQ’s therapeutic developments and will be our first human monoclonal antibody in the clinic. With this financial support we expect to file for registration by the end of 2007”. The biodefense product is developed with contributions from US and Dutch governmental organizations.
About Anthrax
Anthrax (Bacillus anthracis) is the number 1 agent on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) list of ‘Category A Priority Pathogens’. Anthrax can be easily disseminated, has a high mortality rate when untreated, can cause public panic and will require stringent clean-up after a spill or release. Antibiotics treatment can be effective, but only when given very early after exposure. Anthrax produces a deadly toxin (Lethal Toxin) which, when above a critical level, can still kill even if the bacteria have been effectively killed by antibiotics. For this reason, it is important that effective antitoxins are developed.
About IQNLF
B. anthracis’ Lethal Toxin consists of two components; one harmless component called Protective Antigen (PA) that binds to the target cell in the human body and one component which is deadly to the human target cell, which is called Lethal Factor (LF). IQ has generated fully human monoclonal antibodies (humAbs) against both components; IQNPA which binds to PA and IQNLF which binds to LF. Both humAbs are individually capable of fully neutralizing B. anthracis Lethal Toxin in vitro and in vivo. As IQNLF is currently the only humAb directed against LF, IQ has given this development program priority.
About SenterNovem
SenterNovem is an organization of Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs performing financial R&D stimulation programs of more than 100 different subsidy schemes targeting high technology, energy, the environment, exports and international collaboration.
About IQ Corporation
IQ Corporation is a life sciences company based in The Netherlands. Its mission is to contribute to human healthcare through the development and worldwide commercialization of products for diagnostic and therapeutic applications. The company's therapeutics division (IQ Therapeutics) is applying its Cloning the Human Response™ technology for its own pipeline and third parties' to generate and develop fully human antibodies from immunized or vaccinated donors for the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases. The company's diagnostic products division (IQ Products) has developed a range of products for flow-cytometry and for perinatal and transplantation related diagnosis, which are sold in more than 45 countries.
For more information, please visit http://www.iqcorporation.nl/
Dr. Herman Groen, +31 50 57 57 057
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Dr. Roland G. Lageveen, +31 50 57 57 010
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IQ Corporation bv
Rozenburglaan 13A
9727 DL GRONINGEN
the Netherlands
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