Ferring commits $10 million to March of Dimes to expand research needed to end preterm birth

Contribution also will fund development of a new Prematurity Research Center in Europe

Saint-Prex, Switzerland and White Plains, N.Y., USA, May 23, 2017 –

Ferring Pharmaceuticals and the March of Dimes Foundation announced today that Ferring has committed $10 million to support the network of March of Dimes Prematurity Research Centers that are discovering the biological causes of preterm birth. Included in Ferring’s contribution is funding for a new European-based Prematurity Center, which will become a partner of the existing five U.S.-based centers.

Both Ferring and March of Dimes are committed to advancing research to help prevent the 15 million annual preterm births recorded globally, including about 380,000 in the United States. Preterm birth is the leading cause of death in babies in the U.S. and of children under age 5 around the world, and is responsible for 1.1 million infant deaths each year.¹

“Over one-third of Ferring’s research and development investment goes towards finding breakthrough treatments that help mothers and babies, from conception to birth, with the goal of contributing to safe pregnancies and deliveries,” says Per Falk, Chief Scientific Officer and Executive Vice President, Ferring Pharmaceuticals. “This collaboration reinforces our commitment to improving maternal care through scientific innovation and complements our active research programmes in preeclampsia and preterm birth as well as our recent investments in microbiome research to better understand these conditions.”

“The high rate of preterm birth in the U.S. and around the world is an avoidable human tragedy,” says Stacey D. Stewart, President of the March of Dimes. “We must do more to save families from the trauma caused by prematurity and the pain of losing a baby born too soon. March of Dimes staff and volunteers are grateful to Ferring Pharmaceuticals for supporting cutting-edge research to help us fulfill our goal to give every baby a chance to be born healthy.”

The March of Dimes Prematurity Research Centers³ encompass approximately 200 scientists in numerous fields, including obstetrics, neonatology, genetics and genomics, immunology, engineering, informatics, and social sciences. These Centers work together at multiple levels, sharing findings and data to expedite findings on the underlying causes of preterm birth.

David K. Stevenson, M.D., Senior Associate Dean for Maternal and Child Health and Co-Director of the Child Health Research Institute at Stanford University School of Medicine, is the principal Investigator of the first March of Dimes Prematurity Research Center. “My colleagues and I in the current Prematurity Research Centers are very excited by the opportunities this new funding provides and the collaboration with top researchers in Europe,” he says. “European countries have some of the lowest rates of preterm birth in the world, and we would love to share in the wealth of data and experience of our colleagues there.”

“We don’t just want to solve the knowledge gap on prematurity,” says Joe Leigh Simpson, MD, Senior Vice President for Research and Global Programs at the March of Dimes. “We want to find new clinical and policy-based solutions for families and societies around the world to prevent preterm birth.”

About Preterm Birth

Preterm birth (before 37 weeks of pregnancy) and its consequences are the leading cause of death among babies in the U.S. and worldwide among children under age five (see infographic here). Babies who survive an early birth often face serious and lifelong health problems, including chronic lung disease, vision and hearing impairment, cerebral palsy, and neurodevelopmental disabilities.²

About Ferring Pharmaceuticals

Headquartered in Saint-Prex, Switzerland, Ferring Pharmaceuticals is a research-driven, specialty biopharmaceutical group active in global markets. A leader in reproductive and maternal health, Ferring has been developing treatments for mothers and babies for over 50 years. Today, over one third of the company’s research and development investment goes towards finding innovative treatments to help mothers and babies, from conception to birth. The company also identifies, develops and markets innovative products in the areas of urology, gastroenterology, endocrinology and orthopedics. Ferring has its own operating subsidiaries in nearly 60 countries and markets its products in 110 countries.

For further information on Ferring or its products, visit www.ferring.com.

For more information on preterm birth and Ferring’s work in this area, view our infographic Preterm birth: A global issue.

About March of Dimes

The March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health. For more than 75 years, moms and babies have benefited from March of Dimes research, education, vaccines, and breakthroughs. For the latest resources and health information, visit our websites marchofdimes.org and nacersano.org. If you have been affected by prematurity or birth defects, visit our shareyourstory.org community to find comfort and support.

For detailed national, state and local perinatal statistics, visit peristats.org.

You can also find us on Facebook or follow us on Instagram and Twitter.

For more information, please contact

Ferring Pharmaceuticals
Ferring International Center S.A., Chemin de la Vergognausaz 50, 1162 Saint-Prex, Switzerland

Lindsey Rodger
Tel. +41 58 451 40 23
lindsey.rodger@ferring.com

Carine Julen
Tel. +41 58 301 01 78
carine.julen@ferring.com

March of Dimes
1275 Mamaroneck Avenue, White Plains, New York 10605

Michele Kling
+ 1 914 997 4613
mkling@marchofdimes.org

Todd Dezen
+ 1 914 997 4608
tdezen@marchofdimes.org

References

1. Born Too Soon: The Global Action Report on Preterm Birth. (WHO, March of Dimes) 2012.
2. Born Too Soon: The Global Action Report on Preterm Birth. (WHO, March of Dimes) 2012.
3. Current March of Dimes Prematurity Research Centers are located at (with date of launch):
   • Stanford University School of Medicine (2011); partner is University of California, San Francisco.
   • Ohio Collaborative (2013) — partners are Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, University of Cincinnati, The Ohio State University, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Mount Carmel Health System, Case Western Reserve University, University MacDonald Women’s Hospital and Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital, and the MetroHealth System. Also participating in the program are key investigators from Vanderbilt University, University of South Florida, University of Iowa, and Wright State University.
   • Washington University in St. Louis (2014); partner are University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Texas A&M University, and The California Institute of Technology.
   • University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine (2014); partners are University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Magee Women’s Research Institute, Columbia University Medical Center, and The Hospital for Sick Children.
   • University of Chicago-Northwestern University-Duke University (2015); partner is Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

Ferring announces exclusive agreement with Alrise Biosystems for the development of an injectable, controlled-release peptide

Controlled-release treatments can maximise efficiency and improve patient-adherence

Saint Prex, Switzerland – 10 April, 2017 –

Ferring Pharmaceuticals and Alrise Biosystems announced today that the companies have entered into a development agreement with exclusive option rights for Ferring to leverage Alrise’s ImSus® Technology Platform for the development of an injectable, controlled-release formulation of a peptide therapeutic.

Under the terms of the agreement, Alrise will conduct feasibility and scale-up studies with Ferring. Upon completion of the development work, Ferring will have the right to exercise its option and enter into a definitive agreement with Alrise to further develop and manufacture the formulation.

“Ferring aims to harness innovative technology platforms, such as Alrise’s microparticle-technology platform, in order to provide new, controlled-release formulations of peptides and proteins for our patients,” said Alan S. Harris, Senior Vice President, R&D Executive Office, Ferring Pharmaceuticals. “Controlled, long-duration release treatments can maximise efficiency, help improve compliance to treatment, and make life simpler for our patients.”

“Alrise is committed to delivering solutions that enhance the performance of drug products in development,” said Volker Rindler, Head of Business Development and Co-Founder, Alrise Biosystems. “Together with Ferring we aim to develop a new depot formulation that, once injected, releases the drug in a controlled way and thereby ensures an effective drug level over several months.”

Ferring recently announced a number of agreements aimed at developing new formulations of peptide-based therapeutics through novel technology platforms, including a long-term collaboration with Aché Laboratórios Farmacêuticos, aimed at improving the bioavailability, efficacy and safety profile of oral therapeutic medicines through nanotechnology.

– ENDS –

About ImSus® Technology Platform

ImSus® is a unique drug delivery technology platform for the design and manufacture of drug-loaded polymeric nano- and microparticle formulations. The patented process allows an efficient encapsulation of small molecule, peptide and protein drugs for injectable controlled release applications. Key advantages of the ImSus® technology include the exclusive use of non-harmful (non-carcinogenic) organic solvents and  the control over critical performance attributes, which aim to shorten product development times and lower costs.

About Ferring Pharmaceuticals

Headquartered in Switzerland, Ferring Pharmaceuticals is a research-driven, specialty biopharmaceutical group active in global markets. The company identifies, develops and markets innovative products in the areas of reproductive health, urology, gastroenterology, endocrinology and orthopaedics. Ferring has its own operating subsidiaries in nearly 60 countries and markets its products in 110 countries.

To learn more about Ferring or its products please visit www.ferring.com.

About ALRISE Biosystems

Alrise was founded in 2004 by Dr. Celal Albayrak, Dr. Volker Rindler and Dr. Heiko Seemann. In collaboration with pharmaceutical companies Alrise develops injectable as well as oral formulations based on polymeric nano- and microparticles for various substance classes. Major shareholders in the Berlin-based company are the VC companies Creathor Venture and IBB Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH as well as Dr. Giuseppe Vita, the former CEO of Schering AG.

For more information visit www.alrise.de.

For more information, please contact

Ferring Pharmaceuticals
Lindsey Rodger
Tel. +41 58 451 40 23
lindsey.rodger@ferring.com

ALRISE Biosystems GmbH
Dr. Volker Rindler
Tel. +49 30 94 89 24 85
rindler@alrise.de

Ferring highlights progress on social and environmental goals in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Review 2015-2016

Saint-Prex, Switzerland – 6 April 2017 –

Ferring Pharmaceuticals releases its second Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) review, highlighting progress on social and environmental goals in 2015 and 2016 across four key pillars for focus and activity: People, Business Ethics, Environment and Community.

“We have taken a number of significant steps on our CSR journey, notably by integrating CSR into our business planning, hiring a dedicated senior director to drive our global approach, and signing on to the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC),” said Michel Pettigrew, President of the Executive Board and Chief Operating Officer, Ferring Pharmaceuticals. “I am proud of our progress to date, and look forward to embarking on the next phase.”

In line with the requirements of the UNGC, Ferring’s 2015-2016 review highlights the contribution that Ferring is making to support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. In particular, Ferring is focusing on the goal of reducing maternal mortality to under 70 per 100,000 globally. A notable example is the company’s partnership with the World Health Organization (WHO) and MSD for Mothers, which is focused on preventing post-partum haemorrhage (PPH), the leading cause of maternal mortality in low-income countries. The partnership is currently running a clinical trial on heat stable carbetocin, a treatment developed by Ferring to prevent PPH. The trial is the largest ever clinical trial undertaken in this area – with 30,000 participants across 10 countries and 23 hospitals. If the results of the study are positive, the collaborating organisations will work together to provide access to the treatment at an affordable and sustainable price, in countries with a high burden of maternal mortality – mainly in Africa and Asia.

In its efforts to reduce its impact on the environment, Ferring has achieved a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions relative to sales of 50% and is currently evaluating its environmental impact beyond direct manufacturing, along the value chain. Ferring is also engaged in supporting wider scientific efforts that make a positive contribution to a more sustainable planet. In 2016, Ferring Chairman, Frederik Paulsen, together with experts and academic partners, launched the Antarctic Circumnavigation Expedition (ACE) – an intensive three-month expedition around the entire southernmost continent. Its purpose is to conduct front-line research on major environmental themes – including climate change – which first become apparent in the Arctic and Antarctic regions.

The CSR Review also sets out Ferring’s CSR plans for the future which, in line with its business plan and vision, has a major focus on improving maternal health.  “In line with both our company philosophy of ‘People Come First’ and our company vision to be leader in reproductive health, we are developing a global signatory CSR platform in maternal health, an area in which we believe we can make a transformational difference,” said Helen Gallagher, Senior Director, Corporate Social Responsibility and Industry Affairs. “We will launch this platform by the end of 2017.”

Other plans laid out in the review include delivering on environmental targets for 2020, further developing a CSR champions network, enhancing the company’s sustainable purchasing strategy, and launching a ‘work smarter, live better’ programme for employees.

Read the full review at www.ferringsustainability.com.

– ENDS –

About Ferring Pharmaceuticals

Headquartered in Switzerland, Ferring Pharmaceuticals is a research-driven, specialty biopharmaceutical group active in global markets. The company identifies, develops and markets innovative products in the areas of reproductive health, urology, gastroenterology, endocrinology and orthopaedics. Ferring has its own operating subsidiaries in nearly 60 countries and markets its products in 110 countries.

To learn more about Ferring or its products please visit www.ferring.com.

For more information, please contact

Lindsey Rodger
Tel. +41 58 451 40 23
lindsey.rodger@ferring.com

Ferring appoints Dominic Moorhead as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Saint-Prex, Switzerland – 3rd April 2017 –

Ferring Pharmaceuticals announced today that Dominic Moorhead has been appointed as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, effective 1st July 2017.

Moorhead succeeds Peter Wilden, who joined Ferring 25 years ago and was one of the original members of the Group Executive Board.

Following a three-month transition period, Moorhead will assume full responsibility for the Finance, Corporate Information Systems and Internal Audit functions of the global Ferring Group. Wilden will continue to represent Ferring on a number of additional Boards.

“Peter has been a guardian of Ferring’s financial integrity and stability, and we will look back with satisfaction on his exceptional career within the company,” said Michel Pettigrew, President of the Executive Board and Chief Operating Officer of Ferring. “I am confident that Dominic will continue this track record of success. His extensive experience and perspectives in finance, business and strategic development in the pharmaceutical sector make him a great fit for Ferring as we continue on our strong growth path.”

Moorhead has 30 years’ finance and business experience in the life sciences industry. For the past year, he has been a strategic advisor to executives and investors in biotech. Before this, he worked for Takeda Pharmaceuticals for four years, as Global Financial Controller, and CFO of the International business following the acquisition of Nycomed. Prior to this he worked for Hoffmann-La Roche for 13 years, where he was CFO of the Pharma Division for nine years during a period of much challenge, transformation, and growth. He was engaged in numerous strategic initiatives and business transactions, as well as their operational implications, culminating in the privatization of Genentech in the U.S. in 2009.

– ENDS –

About Ferring Pharmaceuticals

Headquartered in Switzerland, Ferring Pharmaceuticals is a research-driven, specialty biopharmaceutical group active in global markets. The company identifies, develops and markets innovative products in the areas of reproductive health, urology, gastroenterology, endocrinology and orthopaedics. Ferring has its own operating subsidiaries in nearly 60 countries and markets its products in 110 countries.

To learn more about Ferring or its products please visit www.ferring.com.

For more information, please contact

Carine Julen
Tel. +41 58 301 01 78
carine.julen@ferring.com

Ferring and CDI sign agreement granting Ferring exclusive marketing rights to VSL#3® in Europe and Canada

Saint Prex, Switzerland – 20 March, 2017 –

Ferring Pharmaceuticals and CD Investments (CDI) announced today that they have signed an agreement granting Ferring exclusive European marketing rights to CDI’s VSL#3®. This agreement extends Ferring’s existing rights to market the product in the UK, Italy and Canada.

VSL#3® is a food supplement, containing 450 billion live bacteria in eight different strains per sachet, which colonizes the gut and benefits from a unique formulation.  Research has confirmed that probiotic bacteria modulate mucosal and systemic immune activity and epithelial function⁽¹⁾, with favorable impact on gut health.

“VSL#3® expands our existing gastroenterology portfolio and is a key part of our regional pharmabiotic strategy,” said Gilles Pluntz, Senior Vice President Europe-Canada, Ferring Pharmaceuticals. “This agreement complements our innovative research in the area of the human microbiome, and reflects Ferring’s commitment to enhancing the quality of life of patients with a broad range of bowel conditions.”

“We are delighted to expand our collaboration with Ferring, and build on the current success of VSL#3® in the UK, Italy and Canada,” said Luca Guarna, President of the Board of Directors of CD Investments. “With the company’s long heritage in gastroenterology and commitment to patients, Ferring will help make VSL#3® a successful brand across Europe and Canada.”

– ENDS –

About VSL#3®

VSL#3® is a combination of live lactic acid bacteria that have been cultivated, freeze-dried and mixed in a very high concentration (hundreds of billions per gram). It contains eight different strains of bacteria which have been selected, cultivated in and mixed in proportions in order to optimize the functionality of the product.

To learn more about VSL#3® please visit www.vsl3pharma.com.

About the Microbiome

To understand the role that probiotics may have in influencing health, it is important to have an appreciation of the roles of the normal intestinal microbiome. The human body is host to trillions of microbes, bacteria, virus and fungi. This vast and complex microbial community is known as the microbiota. Each of the different microorganisms in the microbiota has its own unique set of genes. The collective name for all of the genes in the microbiota is the microbiome. Rapidly evolving science has uncovered a central role of the microbiome in human health and disease.

About Ferring Pharmaceuticals

Headquartered in Switzerland, Ferring Pharmaceuticals is a private research-driven, specialty biopharmaceutical group active in global markets. The company identifies, develops and markets innovative products in the areas of reproductive health, urology, gastroenterology, endocrinology and orthopaedics. Ferring has its own operating subsidiaries in nearly 60 countries and markets its products in 110 countries.

To learn more about Ferring or its products please visit www.ferring.com.

About CD Investments (VSL Pharmaceuticals, Inc.)

CD Investments is a holding company with three subsidiaries worldwide, CD Investments for the European market, CD Pharma India for the Asia-Pacific market and VSL Pharmaceuticals for the North, Central and South America.
CD Investments is focused on the development of products based on the technological platform of probiotic bacteria (lactic acid bacteria and bifidobacteria) for use as food supplement/nutraceuticals in various physiological/pathological conditions. The company has a number of patents which cover many aspects of the therapeutic and nutraceutical use of probiotics and of enzymes derived from probiotic bacteria, in different pathophysiological conditions, both as dietetic preparations, and food supplements, or as pharmaceutical products.

To learn more about CD Investment please visit www.vsl3pharma.com.

For more information, please contact

Ferring Pharmaceuticals
Carine Julen
Tel. +41 58 301 01 78
carine.julen@ferring.com

CD Investments
Davide Grasso
Tel. +39 06 54211033
d.grasso@vsl3pharma.com

References

1. Fedorak R., J Clin Gastroenterol – Volume 42, Supp. 3, Part 1, September 2008 S111

Waking up to go to the toilet is the number one cause of a poor night’s sleep, say experts on World Sleep Day

• Nocturia, the need to wake up and urinate more than once at night, disturbs the sleep of 1 in 3 adults over the age of 30 and two thirds of adults over the age of 65¹

• Up to 80% of people who complain of a disturbed night’s sleep report that nocturia is the main reason they wake in the middle of the night²

Saint Prex, Switzerland – 17 March, 2017 –

On World Sleep Day sleep experts encourage people to understand the value of healthy and solid sleep. In particular, if they need to go to the toilet more than once in the night they have nocturia, a condition which affects one in three adults over the age of 30 and two thirds of adults over the age of 65.¹

“People think that that getting up in the night to go to the toilet is just part of getting older, but it doesn’t need to be,” says Philip Van Kerrebroeck, Editor of the Nocturia Resource Centre and Professor of Urology at the University of Maastricht. “Poor sleep can seriously damage your health so people who are getting up several times a night should go to their doctor to see what’s causing it. The good news is that nocturia can be treated so you don’t need to suffer in silence.”

The broken night’s sleep caused by trips to the bathroom can have huge consequences for mental and physical health. Productivity, relationships and career success can be impacted⁴. Lack of sleep can impact all forms of mental functioning, making it much harder to concentrate, remember things and pick up new skills or facts⁴.Poor sleep has also been linked to an increased risk of diabetes, weakened immune systems, heart disease and even some cancers^5,6,7. Lack of sleep is also related to many psychological conditions such as depression, anxiety and psychosis^2,3.

Nocturia, the need to wake up to pass urine at night, can be caused by an overproduction of urine³. It can also be caused by external factors such as: excess fluids before bedtime, medications, alcohol, caffeine, or diuretic medications; in rare cases it could also be a symptom of something more serious such as: diabetes, high blood pressure or cardiovascular disease³.

– ENDS –

About Ferring Pharmaceuticals

Headquartered in Switzerland, Ferring Pharmaceuticals is a research-driven, specialty biopharmaceutical group active in global markets. The company identifies, develops and markets innovative products in the areas of reproductive health, urology, gastroenterology, endocrinology and orthopaedics. Ferring has its own operating subsidiaries in nearly 60 countries and markets its products in 110 countries.

To learn more about Ferring or its products please visit www.ferring.com.

About World Sleep Day

World Sleep Day is an annual event intended to be a celebration of sleep and a call to action on important issues related to sleep. It is organised by the World Sleep Day Committee of the World Sleep Society (founded by World Association of Sleep Medicine and the World Sleep Federation) and will take place on Friday 17^th March 2017¹⁰.

Ferring is a proud supporter of World Sleep Day

For more information, please contact

Lindsey Rodger
+41 (0)584 514 023
+41 79 191 06 32 (mobile)
Lindsey.Rodger@Ferring.com

Jack Dixey
+44 (0)207 300 6221
Jack.Dixey@bm.com

References

1. Bosch JL, Weiss JP. The prevalence and causes of nocturia. J Urol 2010 Aug; 184(2): 440-6. doi:10.1016/j.juro.2010.04.011.
2. Benefield LE. Facilitating Aging in Place: Safe, Sound, and Secure, An Issue of Nursing Clinics. 2014.
3. National Association for Continence website, Nocturia page. [Last Accessed January 2017] Available from: http://www.nafc.org/nocturia/
4. Orzel-Gryglewska, J. Consequences of Sleep Deprivation. International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health 2010; 23(1): 95-114. doi:10.2478/v10001-010-0004-9.
5. Taheri S, Lin L, Austin D et al. Short sleep duration is associated with elevated ghrelin, reduced leptin and increased body mass index. PLoS Med 2004; 1(3): e62.
6. Gottlieb DJ, Punjabi NM, Newman AB et al. Association of sleep time with diabetes mellitus and impaired glucose tolerance. Arch Intern Med 2005; 165(8): 863-7.
7. Meier-Ewert HK et al. Effect of Sleep Loss on C-Reactive Protein, an Inflammatory Marker of Cardiovascular Risk. Journal of the American College of Cardiology. 2004; 43(4). doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2003.07.050
8. Neckelmann D, Mykletun A, Dahl, AA. Chronic Insomnia as a Risk Factor for Developing Anxiety and Depression. Sleep 2007, 30(7): 873-880.
9. Petrovsky N et al. Sleep Deprivation Disrupts Prepulse Inhibition and Induces Psychosis-Like Symptoms in Healthy Humans. The Journal of Neuroscience 2014; July, 34(27)-913409140.
10. World Sleep Day website. Homepage. [Last accessed February 2017] Available at: www.worldsleepday.org