License Agreement for bFGF*1 in Wound Healing*2 Applications in Europe and North America(November 13, 2009)
Kaken Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. ("Kaken," head office Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo; President and Representative Director Shiro Inui) and Olympus Corporation ("Olympus," head office Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; President and Representative Director Tsuyoshi Kikukawa), announced, as of November 13, 2009, a license agreement regarding the development, manufacture, and marketing of bFGF (basic fibroblast growth factor) in the wound healing applications in Europe and North America.
Kaken has been focusing for a number of years on research and development in the area of recombinant human bFGF for tissue regeneration. In 2001, a wound healing product called Fiblast® Spray*3 was successfully launched into Japan at the worlds first.
The Olympus Group also has been working on research and development of tissue engineering. A subsidiary company, Olympus Terumo Biomaterials, is developing tissue engineering business including biomaterials, and is marketing artificial dermis made of collagen for applications related to wound healing. Olympus plans to utilize data and know-how from Kaken for the development and marketing of bFGF products in Europe and North America, enabling the Olympus Group to expand tissue engineering business in the field of wound healing.
*1 basic FGF (basic fibroblast growth factor)
Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) are proteins that exist in the body and regulate cell proliferation and differentiation. bFGF is one of these growth factors and involves the formation of a variety of tissues, including skin, blood vessels, bone and cartilage, and shows considerable promise in the area of tissue regeneration. bFGF is also called FGF-2. At present, over 20 members of the FGF family have been identified.
*2 Wound healing
Wound healing is/means the healing of injuries that the body incurs.
It is generally considered difficult to achieve healing of bedsores and skin ulcers (burn ulcers, diabetic ulcers, arterial ulcers, and venous ulcers) caused by conditions such as burns, diabetes mellitus, and obstructive arteriosclerosis.
*3 Fiblast® Spray
This is a spray-type topical formulation containing recombinant human bFGF. It was approved as a pharmaceutical product for use in Japan in 2001 for the indications of bedsores and skin ulcers (burn ulcers, leg ulcers).
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