Eiffel signs asthma drug deal with US company

Delivery platform specialist Eiffel Technologies has scored a benchmark deal with US-based asthma drug delivery company, Oriel Therapeutics, to re-engineer asthma drugs optimised for inhaler delivery.

"This is a good deal for us in what we see as a particularly attractive market," said Eiffel CEO Christine Cussen. Cussen said the deal, which was for an undisclosed amount, would help the company into the $10 billion asthma market, and would strengthen its experience too.

"The agreement is for us to collaborate with Oriel and develop a pure drug for delivery, without any excipients at all -- which is unusual in this area," she said. "This could well open up the potential for further agreements, too."

Oriel CEO Paul J Atkins said in a statement that he saw the deal producing rapid results. "We believe that by combining the Eiffel engineered powder with the consistent and efficient aerosolisation technology employed in the Oriel inhaler we will quickly be able to develop a robust multi-dose product," he said.

Oriel specialises in delivery mechanisms for inhaled drug delivery, using aerosolised powder technology driven by powder-specific electrical frequencies. It is developing technology for delivering therapeutics for respiratory and pulmonary diseases using a dry powder inhaler (DPI) with its own energy source.

Eiffel chairman Tom Hartigan said the key issue was not the deal's size or its complexity but its significance as a signal for the thawing of the market.

"Just getting a deal like this is a breath of fresh air. We have seen lots of talking and tyre kicking over the last few months, but nobody was actually doing anything," he said.

"But now we are seeing people talking money and doing things fairly quickly. The market is definitely easing, and coming off what has been a very difficult period," he added. "Not only that, the market is now taking notice of what we are saying. This is great news for us."