Liestal, Switzerland, February 24, 2012 - Santhera Pharmaceuticals (SIX: SANN) announced today financial results for 2011 and provided an update on the commercial and development portfolio. Net sales of Catena® amounted to CHF 3.3 million, an increase of 6% in local currencies over the previous year. The operating result was CHF -27.2 million and the net result was CHF -27.8 million. With a cash burn of CHF -20.3 million in 2011, the cash position at year-end amounted to CHF 23.4 million. Last year the Company successfully completed a restructuring and is now focusing on Catena® in several orphan indications. Considering its cash reserves, Santhera`s current operations are financed into 2013. Main achievements in 2011 include - Continued commercial success with Catena® in Canada and through the Named Patient Program in Europe and other territories - Marketing Authorization Application in Leber`s Hereditary Optic Neuropathy (LHON) accepted for review by the European Medicines Agency - Completion of restructuring and strategic focus on Catena® franchise and its several opportunities in orphan diseases Key financial figures 2011 (IFRS, consolidated, in CHF thousands) 2011 2010 Cash and cash equivalents 23,406 43,682 Net change in cash and cash equivalents -20,276 -9,638 Net sales 3,265 3,496 Operating expenses -30,517 -29,694 Operating result -27,213 -8,711 … Continue reading →

Sonia Gobeil can trace her ancestors to the pioneers who first settled the isolated Saguenay region northeast of Quebec City, but she had never heard of the devastating brain disease they passed on through their genes until her son was diagnosed with it. The disease, an inherited form of ataxia, affects the part of the brain that co-ordinates movement. It can skip generations and miss entire branches of family trees, only to pop up according to the laws of genetics and chance, leaving most patients in a wheelchair by the time they are 40. It is more common in the Saguenay and Charlevoix regions of Quebec than anywhere else in the world. More related to this story The history of the disease there begins with a small population of immigrants from France who first settled the Charlevoix region in the 17th century. Researchers suspect that several of those people carried a copy of a rare genetic mutation that on its own is benign, but can wreak havoc in the brains of those unlucky enough to inherit two copies – one from each parent. The population grew and, 100 years later, the migrants pushed the government to open the territory around … Continue reading →

Washington, Feb 24 (ANI): Scientists have identified genes whose expression levels can identify people with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) as well as tell apart its subtypes. AMD is one of the leading causes of blindness worldwide, especially in developed countries, and there is currently no known treatment or cure or for the vast majority of AMD patients. It is estimated that 6.5 percent of people over age 40 in the US currently have AMD. There is an inheritable genetic risk factor but risk is also increased for smokers and with exposure to UV light. Genome-wide studies have indicated that genes involved in the innate immune system and fat metabolism are involved in this disease. However, none of these prior studies examined gene expression differences between AMD and normal eyes. In order to address this question, researchers at the University of California Santa Barbara, the University of Utah John Moran Eye Center, and the University of Iowa combined forces and used a human donor eye repository to identify genes up-regulated in AMD. The ability of these genes to recognize AMD was tested on a separate set of samples. The team discovered over 50 genes that have higher than normal levels in … Continue reading →

ScienceDaily (Feb. 24, 2012) — Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is one of the leading causes of blindness worldwide, especially in developed countries, and there is currently no known treatment or cure or for the vast majority of AMD patients. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Genome Medicine has identified genes whose expression levels can identify people with AMD, as well as tell apart AMD subtypes. It is estimated that 6.5% of people over age 40 in the US currently have AMD. There is an inheritable genetic risk factor but risk is also increased for smokers and with exposure to UV light. Genome-wide studies have indicated that genes involved in the innate immune system and fat metabolism are involved in this disease. However none of these prior studies examined gene expression differences between AMD and normal eyes. In order to address this question, researchers at the University of California Santa Barbara, the University of Utah John Moran Eye Center, and the University of Iowa combined forces and used a human donor eye repository to identify genes up-regulated in AMD. The ability of these genes to recognize AMD was tested on a separate set of samples. The team discovered … Continue reading →