Althea to Produce Lead Onco-Drug for Quintessence Biosciences

Althea Technologies, Inc. has entered a manufacturing supply agreement with Quintessence Biosciences to produce the firm’s first drug candidate, QBI-139. The drug is effective in cancer models against a broad range of solid tumors. Quintessence plans to file an IND with the FDA for QBI-139 in 1Q2008. Althea will provide protein production, purification, and aseptic filling services to produce the clinical trial materials.
   
“Althea is an outstanding company with significant experience in the contract manufacture of protein therapeutics,” said Ralph Kauten, Quintessence Biosciences chief executive officer. “We are confident in their ability to produce the quality of drug we need for our upcoming clinical trials.”
   
“We are very pleased to begin work on Quintessence’s leading drug candidate,” stated president and Co-CEO of Althea, Dr. Magda Marquet. “The Quintessence QBI-139 therapeutic program is exciting as it represents a new and potentially safer approach to combat a broad array of devastating cancer types.”