Our client, a commercial stage biotech company focused on rare and ultra-rare diseases was seeking to build its pipeline of development products. Whilst it had an established business development function in North America, it had limited business development capacity in Europe and therefore a more limited awareness of and reach into the academic, disease advocacy and early stage biotech networks in Europe.
Alacrita was engaged to assist in identifying promising drug candidates, technologies and research capabilities which offered transformational potential in a selected group of rare and ultra-rare diseases.
Using a combination of secondary research to review the scientific and patent literature, clinical trial databases and research and translational medicine networks together with our scientific and clinical contact networks, the Alacrita team identified a long list of prospective technologies and product candidates relevant to the disease area of focus. In parallel, Alacrita applied similar approaches to identify European clinical groups and networks, patient communities and advocacy groups and patient registries and infrastructure.
Each product candidate/technology was then screened for its potential as a transformational therapeutic, through discussions with the originating scientists and review of published preclinical/clinical results or its underlying mechanism to develop a prioritized list of the most viable opportunities for in-licensing.