Heidelberg Pharma is a biopharmaceutical company that is working on a treatment approach in oncology. The Company researches, develops and produces antibody drug conjugates (ADCs), which combine the high affinity and specificity of antibodies with the potency of toxins for the treatment of cancer. Selected antibodies are loaded with toxins and transport these into the diseased cells, where the toxin then takes effect and kills the cell.
Heidelberg Pharma examined several payloads and has developed an ADC toolbox that uses various antibodies to address a variety of cancers, and which has the potential to deploy multiple strategies for overcoming tumor resistance.
Its activities focus on an its patented and proprietary ATAC technology that is based on Amanitin – the toxin of the death cap mushroom – and uses its biological mode of action as a novel therapeutic principle in cancer medicine. To the best of the Company’s knowledge, Heidelberg Pharma is the first company to develop Amanitin for cancer therapies. The ATAC technology platform is being applied to develop the Company’s proprietary therapeutic ADCs as well as in third-party collaborations.
The most advanced product candidate HDP-101 (INN: pamlectabart tismanitin) is a BCMA-ATAC for the indication multiple myeloma, which is currently in clinical development.
In addition to Amanitin, the Company worked with other active compounds such as the topoisomerase inhibitor exatecan, thereby supplementing its proprietary ATAC technology with further ADCs technologies (“toolbox”) with the aim of developing the best possible ADCs for additional target antigens and applications.
The new strategic focus will be on ADCs with the compound Amanitin. ADCs with other compounds will no longer be developed, but are available for partnerships.
The company as well as its subsidiary Heidelberg Pharma Research GmbH is based in Ladenburg near Heidelberg in Germany. It was founded in September 1997 as Wilex Biotechnology GmbH in Munich and was changed to WILEX AG in 2000. In 2011, the subsidiary Heidelberg Pharma Research GmbH was acquired and after a restructuring, the registered office of WILEX AG was moved from Munich to Ladenburg and the name of the Company was changed to Heidelberg Pharma AG. The subsidiary Heidelberg Pharma GmbH is now named Heidelberg Pharma Research GmbH. Heidelberg Pharma AG is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in the Regulated Market / Prime Standard.
The Company has out-licensed product candidates from Wilex's legacy portfolio (upamostat and girentuximab) to partners. For further information, please go to portfolio or technologies.
