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Executive Overview
Celtic Biotech Ltd.
is an Irish-owned biopharmaceutical company developing novel specific cancer therapies for the human market.
Through licensing and marketing agreements the Company plans to continue the development of its drug pipeline.
Celtic Biotech was founded by Dr. Paul Reid, who has a Ph.D. in Neurobiochemistry from Imperial College London,
and is an expert in the therapeutic uses of neurotoxins.
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Celtic Biotech has chosen to focus on novel cancer therapy
and pain treatment applications because cancer is one of the
most feared killers in the developed world. Approximately
one in three people will be diagnosed with the disease and
one out of every four deaths is attributed to cancer. Between
Europe and the USA, approximately 35 million people have been
newly diagnosed with the disease since 1990 and approximately
4.3 million were diagnosed with the disease in 2004. In 2005,
an estimated 2,300,000 people in Europe and the USA died from
cancer. There are many drugs approved for the treatment of
cancer in all its forms and the vast majority inflict significant
side effects. Despite the existence of numerous oncology drugs,
in reality, more effective and tolerable products are required.
Celtic Biotech has identified the potential of a drug isolated from the venom of Crotalus durissus terrificus (a
tropical rattlesnake). This product, Crotoxin, is a novel bipartite protein with a targeting component and a subunit
that is lethal to cancer cells. The targeting protein recognizes highly expressed surface markers on cancer cells.
Consequently, normal cells are spared. As a result, there are fewer side effects than reported with conventional cancer
therapies such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy and there is reduced toxicity allowing the treatment to be well
tolerated. There is no reported nausea, vomiting or hair loss and the patient's "quality of life" is not diminished when undergoing treatment.
Celtic Biotech completed a Licensing Agreement with Ventech
Research Inc. (VRI), Massachusetts, USA. This company developed
the proprietary technology, conducted Phase I trials, and
holds 2 patents in the United States. The program to develop
the drug is well established and strongly supported with numerous
published scientific papers. Celtic Biotech has continued
this research and plans to conduct further clinical trials
are well advanced.
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