Noventure and Pierre Fabre enter into an agreement to commercialise Aprotecol® in Italy

Barcelona, Spain, July 17 – Noventure and Pierre Fabre Pharma Italy, announce today that they have entered into an agreement in which Pierre Fabre will distribute Noventure’s Aprotecol® in Italy.

Aprotecol is a Class IIa CE marked medical device used to treat and prevent bloating and intestinal colic in infants and young children. Abdominal tension and colic are frequent in infants and children. This may be caused by different factors, including leaky intestinal mucosa¹ or the growth of gas-producing bacteria in the intestines².

Aprotecol was designed in line with the latest science on the underlying causes of colic in infants, providing an effective reinforcement of the mucosal barrier and a re-balancing of the intestinal flora.

Aprotecol is available as an oily suspension for oral use.

Colic is a common condition worldwide: 20% of infants younger than three months develop infant colic. Raising colicky babies or children with bloating and abdominal pain can be a common source of frustration and distress for parents and a costly problem for health services³.

Luciano Conde, CEO of Noventure said: “Aprotecol is an innovative product that will help to improve the quality of life of young patients across Italy affected by colic and bloating as well as their parents. We firmly believe that partnering with Pierre Fabre, whose commitment to children’s healthcare is recognized worldwide, represents a great opportunity for Noventure to further disseminate its innovative barrier technology.”

Charles-Henri Bodin, general manager of Pierre Fabre Pharma Italy said: “Aprotecol is a great opportunity for Pierre Fabre to reinforce its position in pediatrics in Italy. Our teams are prepared and highly motivated to offer Italian pediatricians this innovative solution to treat their young patients.”

Pierre Fabre Pharma Italy anticipates launching Aprotecol in January 2018.

Noventure’s business model is based on offering exclusive commercial rights for selected regions to its distribution partners. Aprotecol is being partnered by Noventure worldwide.

About Pierre Fabre

With a portfolio representing activities spanning from prescription drugs and consumer healthcare products to dermo-cosmetics, Pierre Fabre is the second largest dermo-cosmetics laboratory in the world, the second largest private French pharmaceutical group and the market leader in France for products sold over the counter in pharmacies. Its portfolio includes several global brands and franchises, such as Eau Thermale Avène – the worldwide dermo-cosmetic market leader – Klorane, Ducray, René Furterer, A-Derma, Galénic, Elancyl, Naturactive, Pierre Fabre Health Care, Pierre Fabre Oral Care, Pierre Fabre Dermatologie and Pierre Fabre Oncologie.

In 2016, Pierre Fabre generated €2.28 billion ($2.6bn) in revenues, of which 60% came from its international business and 59% from its dermo-cosmetics division. Pierre Fabre, headquartered in the South-West of France, has more than 13,000 employees worldwide, owns subsidiaries and offices in 47 countries and enjoys distribution agreements in over 130 countries. In 2016, Pierre Fabre dedicated ca. €195 million ($222M) to its R&D efforts, split between oncology, central nervous system, consumer healthcare, dermatology and dermo-cosmetics.

Pierre Fabre is 86%-owned by the Pierre Fabre Foundation, a government-recognized public-interest foundation, and secondarily by its own employees through an international employee stock ownership plan.

The independent French certification group AFNOR audited Pierre Fabre for its corporate social responsibility policy at the ‘exemplary’ level, according to the ISO 26000 standard for CSR.

www.pierre-fabre.com/en

About Noventure

Noventure is a start-up enterprise, headquartered in Barcelona, specializing in licensing medical devices to partner companies. Noventure’s products are natural polymers based on a proprietary barrier technology that reinforces the epithelia, thereby restoring its functionality. Noventure’s areas of interest are gastrointestinal, paediatrics, uro-gynaecology, allergy and dermatology.

Noventure aims to build exclusive, long-term partnerships rooted in a shared understanding of the medical need and the marketing opportunity in each country, nurtured by close communication and teamwork. Currently Noventure has a network of partners and distributors that commercialize its products in more than 40 countries.

www.noventure.com

References

1. Lothe L, et al., Macromolecular absorption in infants with infantile colic.. Acta Paediatr Scand. 1990 Apr;79(4):417-21.
2. Simone M, et al. The Probiotic Bifidobacterium breve B632 Inhibited the Growth of Enterobacteriaceae within Colicky Infant Microbiota Cultures. BioMed Research International. 2014;2014:301053. doi:10.1155/2014/301053.
3. F. Savino et al: Looking for new treatments of Infantile Colic – Italian Journal of Pediatrics 2014, 40:53

Aprotecol is a Class IIa medical device and fulfils all requirements in regard to current European legislation. For further information, refer to Aprotecol instructions. CE 0476.