Corneal Diseases

Initiative will test Grifols ocular surface immunoglobulin (OSIG) eye drops to evaluate their nonclinical efficacy in neutralizing symptoms from exposure to sulfur mustard, a chemical warfare agent A successful preclinical study of this potentially innovative therapeutic could lead to an FDA license for one of the first medical treatments for sulfur mustard ocular injury Grifols also plans to start a phase 2 clinical trial of an OSIG for dry eye disease in the first half of 2025, part of the company’s broadening innovation pipeline to enhance the lives of patients BARCELONA, Spain, Oct. 22, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Grifols (MCE:GRF, MCE:GRF.P, NASDAQ:GRFS), a global healthcare company and leading manufacturer of plasma-derived medicines, today announced it has established a partnership with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to test investigational ocular surface immunoglobulin (OSIG) eye drops for their ability to treat ocular damage from sulfur mustard exposure. BARDA is part of the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). If the preclinical evaluation is successful, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) could eventually license what would be one of the first medical treatments to counteract the long-term effects of sulfur mustard ocular injury. Sulfur mustard, sometimes referred to as mustard gas, is a chemical warfare agent that reacts rapidly with ocular tissue and can cause pain, photophobia and mustard gas keratopathy, a corneal injury that can lead to blindness. Grifols will develop a treatment for sulfur mustard ocular exposure by repurposing an investigational OSIG therapeutic currently in development for dry eye disease (DED). The nonclinical studies, conducted in partnership with BARDA, may provide evidence for the anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties of OSIG and its ability to alleviate the long-term effects of sulfur mustard exposure. Specifically, research will investigate how OSIG’s anti-inflammatory properties can prevent the immune system from mistakenly attacking self-antigens, which in this case are proteins modified due to exposure to sulfur mustard. In cases of sulfur mustard exposure, the immune system can errantly target these self-antigens. By neutralizing the immune response caused by the self-antigens, OSIG could help protect ocular tissue and support recovery in people exposed to sulfur mustard. Grifols announced in March 2023 a collaboration with Chicago-based Selagine, which focuses on developing novel therapeutics for ocular diseases, to treat DED with immunoglobulin eye drops. The potential treatment, expected to enter clinical development in the first half of 2025, would become the first immunoglobulin medicine indicated for DED, which affects more than 100 million people globally. “Grifols is applying its leadership in immunoglobulins, a powerful class of medicines with a unique mechanism of action, to develop safe, effective and readily available IG-based ocular treatments to alleviate conditions that seriously impact people’s eyesight and quality of life,” said Joerg Schuettrumpf, Grifols Chief Scientific Innovation Officer. “We continue to build an innovation pipeline focused on providing more and better treatments for patients.” Grifols’ work with BARDA to create an OSIG to neutralize the effects of sulfur mustard ocular exposure comes shortly after the company’s GigaGen subsidiary announced a contract with BARDA, worth up to $135 million over six years, to develop recombinant polyclonal antibody therapies for biothreats including botulinum neurotoxins. This project has been supported in whole or in part with federal funds from the HHS, ASPR and BARDA under contract number 75A50124C00050. MEDIA CONTACTS: Grifols Press Office media@grifols.comTel. +34 93 571 00 02 SpainDuomo ComunicaciónTel.: +34 91 311 92 89 – +34 91 311 92 90Raquel Lumbreras (Tel. +34 659 572 185)Raquel_lumbreras@duomocomunicacion.com Borja Gómez (Tel. + 34 659 572 185)Borja_gomez@duomocomunicacion.com InvestorsInvestors Relations & Sustainabilityinversores@grifols.com - investors@grifols.comTel. +34 93 571 02 21 About Grifols Grifols is a global healthcare company founded in Barcelona in 1909 committed to improving the health and well-being of people around the world. A leader in essential plasma-derived medicines and transfusion medicine, the company develops, produces, and provides innovative healthcare services and solutions in more than 110 countries. Patient needs and Grifols’ ever-growing knowledge of many chronic, rare and prevalent conditions, at times life-threatening, drive the company’s innovation in both plasma and other biopharmaceuticals. Grifols is focused on treating conditions across a broad range of therapeutic areas: immunology, hepatology and intensive care, pulmonology, hematology, neurology, and infectious diseases. A pioneer in the plasma industry, Grifols continues to grow its network of donation centers, the world’s largest with over 390 across North America, Europe, Africa and the Middle East, and China. As a recognized leader in transfusion medicine, Grifols offers a comprehensive portfolio of solutions designed to enhance safety from donation to transfusion, in addition to clinical diagnostic technologies. It provides high-quality biological supplies for life-science research, clinical trials, and for manufacturing pharmaceutical and diagnostic products. The company also supplies tools, information and services that enable hospitals, pharmacies and healthcare professionals to efficiently deliver expert medical care. Grifols, with more than 23,000 employees in more than 30 countries and regions, is committed to a sustainable business model that sets the standard for continuous innovation, quality, safety, and ethical leadership. The company’s class A shares are listed on the Spanish Stock Exchange, where they are part of the Ibex-35 (MCE:GRF). Grifols non-voting class B shares are listed on the Mercado Continuo (MCE:GRF.P) and on the U.S. NASDAQ through ADRs (NASDAQ:GRFS). For more information about Grifols, please visit grifols.com LEGAL DISCLAIMER The facts and figures contained in this report that do not refer to historical data are “future projections and assumptions”. Words and expressions such as “believe”, “hope”, “anticipate”, “predict”, “expect”, “intend”, “should”, “will seek to achieve”, “it is estimated”, “future” and similar expressions, in so far as they relate to the Grifols group, are used to identify future projections and assumptions. These expressions reflect the assumptions, hypotheses, expectations and predictions of the management team at the time of writing this report, and these are subject to a number of factors that mean that the actual results may be materially different. The future results of the Grifols group could be affected by events relating to its own activities, such as a shortage of supplies of raw materials for the manufacture of its products, the appearance of competitor products on the market, or changes to the regulatory framework of the markets in which it operates, among others. At the date of compiling this report, the Grifols group has adopted the necessary measures to mitigate the potential impact of these events. Grifols, S.A. does not accept any obligation to publicly report, revise or update future projections or assumptions to adapt them to events or circumstances subsequent to the date of writing this report, except where expressly required by the applicable legislation. This document does not constitute an offer or invitation to buy or subscribe shares in accordance with the provisions of the following Spanish legislation: Royal Legislative Decree 4/2015, of 23 October, approving recast text of Securities Market Law; Royal Decree Law 5/2005, of 11 March and/or Royal Decree 1310/2005, of 4 November, and any regulations developing this legislation. In addition, this document does not constitute an offer of purchase, sale or exchange, or a request for an offer of purchase, sale or exchange of securities, or a request for any vote or approval in any other jurisdiction. The information included in this document has not been verified nor reviewed by the external auditors of the Grifols group.

RTI International congratulates Vietnam in eliminating trachoma – a painful disease impacting the lives of millions of people around the world RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., Oct. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- RTI International, a nonprofit research institute and leading international development organization, is pleased to join Vietnam, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in celebrating the elimination of trachoma, a painful disease that can lead to blindness, as a public health problem in Vietnam. Globally, Vietnam is the 21st endemic country to achieve validation of elimination of this neglected tropical disease (NTD). More than 8.3 million people in Vietnam are now free from the risk of trachoma infection. The announcement came at the opening of the WHO Regional Committee for the Western Pacific, being held in Manila, Philippines. "We applaud Vietnam for achieving this incredible goal, which has been over half a century in the making," said Tim J. Gabel , president and CEO at RTI International. "Solving this health problem is an important achievement in improving the human condition and we are proud to be among the partners that assisted in this effort." Trachoma, the leading infectious cause of blindness worldwide, causes eyelids to scar and eyelashes to turn inwards eventually resulting in blindness if untreated. Surgery, antibiotics, facial cleanliness practices and environmental improvements (the SAFE strategy) is the WHO endorsed method for eliminating the disease as a public health problem, including the provision of treatment and care for those at risk for the disease. Trachoma control was first initiated in Vietnam in the 1950s; at that time, the prevalence of active trachoma in some communes was as high as 50-90%. In 1999, the Government of Vietnam established a national trachoma program and began mass treatment campaigns with donated azithromycin. USAID began partnering with Vietnam in 2011 to support their efforts to eliminate trachoma. In recent years, USAID's Act to End Neglected Tropical Diseases | East program, through RTI and partner Fred Hollows Foundation, has supported the government to conduct surveys to monitor prevalence of the disease and ensure care has been provided to those impacted by the disease. These efforts and additional technical assistance have supported the Government of Vietnam to formally document their successes to WHO for validation of trachoma elimination as a public health problem. "This achievement would not have been possible without the commitment of the Government of Vietnam to trachoma elimination," says Lisa Rotondo, program director for USAID's Act to End NTDs | East Program at RTI. "The task now will be for Vietnam to continue surveillance for resurgence and to provide care for those already impacted." Additional partners that have contributed to Vietnam's success include the International Trachoma Initiative, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Tropical Data, and FHI 360, among others. Over the past 18 years, with support from USAID, RTI has partnered with governments and other countries, including Vietnam, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Cambodia and Nepal, to achieve trachoma elimination as a public health problem. Through the USAID Act | East Program, RTI will continue to support countries in Africa, Asia and the Americas in ending NTDs, such as trachoma. Learn more about RTI's work to control and eliminate NTDs around the globe  Media Contact: Kerry Branon 919-541-7300 [email protected] SOURCE RTI International WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM? 440k+ Newsrooms & Influencers 9k+ Digital Media Outlets 270k+ Journalists Opted In GET STARTED

On October 15, 2024, TRIANA Biomedicines announced a major announcement that it has entered into a strategic collaboration and licensing agreement with world-renowned pharmaceutical giant Pfizer. At the heart of this agreement is a joint effort to develop a series of novel molecular gel degraders that will target multiple key targets in multiple disease areas, including but not limited to oncology. Under the terms of the agreement, TRIANA Biomedicines will receive an upfront payment of $49 million from Pfizer. In addition, TRIANA is eligible to receive more than $1.5 billion in potential milestone payments in the future, as well as tiered royalties based on product sales. TRIANA will be responsible for discovering and identifying potential drug molecules in the early stages of drug development, while Pfizer has exclusive options on these drug candidates and will be responsible for the preclinical and clinical development of these drug candidates. TRIANA Biomedicines is a leading company in the field of biotechnology focused on building a leading molecular gel discovery platform. The platform is built with an advanced AI algorithm that identifies protein surface features that may interact with proteins, and validates and tests them on existing protein-action networks. With this algorithm, TRIANA is able to predict which target proteins have greater affinity and sequence the E3 ligases that are most likely to form complexes with the target proteins. In addition, TRIANA introduced the Five Rules of Drug screening in the selection of molecular gel, which is a method of screening for the chemical properties of oral pharmaceutical small molecule compounds. These rules include no more than five hydrogen bonds and a molecular weight of less than 500, which help improve the absorption rate of the drug in the body. Molecular gel deactivator is a small molecule that can induce the interaction between the E3 ubiquitin ligase substrate receptor and the target protein, and is degraded by the proteasome through the ubiquitination process. Different from PROTAC technology, molecular glue degraders have dual ligand structure characteristics for E3 ubiquitin ligase and target protein, and can bind to both proteins at the same time to promote their ubiquitination, so as to achieve the degradation of non-drug-resistant targets and protein-protein interactions. Molecular rubber degraders have the characteristics of smaller molecular weight, simpler chemical structure, less space interference and better druggability, but it is relatively difficult to design. The identification of molecular gel compounds requires a wide range of rational studies, including structural biology, biochemistry, biophysics, spectroscopy, and gene mutomics. Molecular gel degraders have shown the ability to target unproducible proteins (such as transcription factors and splicing factors), and their classification mainly includes: (1) molecular gel degraders targeting CRLs ligase; (2) Molecular gel inhibitors targeting cyclin-dependent kinases; (3) Molecular gum degraders targeting cytochrome P450 1B1; (4) Molecular gel degraders targeting transcription suppressor BCL6; (5) Molecular gel deactivators targeting epidermal growth factor receptors. According to incomplete statistics, there are more than 240 kinds of molecular glue reducers currently in research, and most of them are concentrated in the fields of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, autoimmune diseases, kerato-conjunctivitis, organ transplantation, anemia and other diseases. These research and development efforts are expected to offer new possibilities and hope for the future treatment of these diseases.