Adamed Pharma slated to develop innovative therapeutic solutions based on RNA technology

The project will receive additional funding from a grant awarded by the Medical Research Agency.

On 29 November 2021, the Evaluation Committee in the competition for the “Development of innovative therapeutic solutions using RNA technology” launched by the Medical Research Agency decided to support Adamed Pharma together with two consortium partners with a grant of PLN 58.5 million. The main goal of the submitted project is the development of an innovative vaccine based on mRNA/VLP technology, targeting zoonotic viral pathogens which impact human health across the globe. The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that emerging zoonotic viruses are able to spread across communities around the world at an unprecedented rate and mutate into new variants just as rapidly.

– The grant awarded to Adamed Pharma to carry out research on the applications of RNA technology, which will involve the selection of vaccine candidates, preclinical development, elaboration of manufacturing technology, and phase I clinical trials, is an opportunity for us and our partners that will be working on this project to develop innovative Polish medicinal products through our excellent R&D teams, and an important step on the path to a public-private partnership aimed at creating a stable, safe and robust base of innovative RNA-based products and therapeutics in Poland – says Karolina Czekaj, Corporate Finance and Investment Director at Adamed Pharma S.A.

The goal of the project is to develop a vaccine that offers significant advantages over already available products. With regards to the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, the aim is to achieve more favorable storage conditions compared to the current mRNA vaccines. The novel vaccine is also likely to be more effective against new variants of the virus which show resistance to the currently available products.

– Vaccines are the most effective and widely used way to prevent infectious diseases. The vaccine development technology has been evolving alongside medical science, but the current understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the induction of specific immune responses is clearly attributed to recent advances in immunology. The present state of knowledge of cell biology, genomics and bioinformatics allows the development of new immunization technologies and the rational design of innovative vaccines. The success of widespread vaccination programs using vaccines based on VLPs (virus-like particles) or mRNA has demonstrated their safety and potential for preventing infectious diseases.  Together with the Adamed team and our partners, we have the ambition to use this knowledge in our mission to develop innovative solutions ensuring the safety of Polish patients – adds Bartłomiej Żerek, Head of the Innovations Department at Adamed Pharma S.A.

Research will be carried out within the framework of the science and research consortium bringing together Adamed Pharma, the University of Gdańsk, and the Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw.

The applicants had an opportunity to apply for funding by submitting projects that involve the development and progression to at least phase I clinical trials of an RNA-based medicinal product, with preference given to a vaccine or an innovative drug against RNA viruses, or the achievement of production capacity for the above-mentioned medicinal products. Eight projects were submitted for the competition. Overall, five projects secured funding, with the total amount of allocated funds to reach PLN 291,076,424.49.

Adamed is a family-owned pharmaceutical and biotechnology company with 100 percent Polish capital, which was founded on the basis of Polish scientific thought and own patents. Established 35 years ago, today it employs 2,200 workers and runs two production plants in Poland and one in Vietnam. The main pillars of the company’s development are investments to increase drug production in Poland and boost the company’s innovation capacity, and global expansion. Adamed is working on its own innovative drugs. The company’s intellectual property is protected by almost 200 patents in most countries of the world, and its portfolio consists of over 500 products. Every year, the company produces over 2.3 billion tablets sold in 76 markets around the world. It provides drug security to millions of patients in Poland and many other countries. In view of the scale of operations of the enterprise, Adamed contributes to the economic development not only of the domestic pharmaceutical market, but also the entire Polish economy.