Announcement of the global annual press conference… “Invest in double-digit COVID-19 for R&D expenses”
Boehringer Ingelheim, a German multinational pharmaceutical company, has announced a plan to apply for emergency use of an antibody treatment for inhaled novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19) by the end of this year.
Boehringer Ingelheim held an online global annual press conference on the 24th and announced last year’s results and business plans this year.
Hubertus von Baumbach, Chairman of the Management Board of Boehringer Ingelheim, said, “We are developing a COVID-19 neutralizing antibody (BI 767551) in collaboration with the University Hospital of Cologne in Germany, the University of Marburg, and the Center for Infectious Disease Research in Germany.”
Chairman Baumbach said, “It will be the first treatment that is administered by inhalation as an antibody treatment,” he said. “It is unique in that it is delivered directly to the area where it has to fight the virus, and the required dose will be less than that of a systemic treatment.”
Chairman Baumbach replied, “It is difficult to predict the exact timing of the product launch, but by the end of this year, enough data is secured, so we can apply for emergency approval.”
The company has entered the clinical phase 1/2a of this substance, and is further developing a small molecule substance that inhibits viral replication and a therapeutic agent for preventing blood clots that can be used in combination with this substance.
Michael Schmelmer, director of finance at the Boehringer Ingelheim Board of Management, said, “We are spending a solid double-digit ratio of total R&D expenditures for COVID-19 R&D.” If you go, it will increase exponentially, so this year you will spend more money,” he predicted.
The phase 2 clinical trial, which started in October last year, has been discontinued to expand the indication for heart failure treatment’Trip6′ (TRPC6) to Corona 19.
Director Schmelmer said, “We have stopped developing Trip6 as a treatment for Corona 19, but we will continue research and development related to heart failure treatment.”
Boehringer Ingelheim said last year’s net sales increased 3% from the previous year, reaching 19.5 billion euros (about 26.2 trillion won).
The operating profit was 4,620 million euros (about 6.2 trillion won), an increase of about 840 million euros (about 1.1 trillion won) from 3.78 billion euros in 2019 (about 5.1 trillion won).
It was announced that the total R&D investment last year increased by 7% from the previous year to 3.7 billion euros (about 5 trillion won).
This is 18.9% of net sales.
/yunhap news
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