10 years of MetrioPharm – which one was the most difficult?
Dr. Wolfgang Brysch
Actually, it’s a routine question and I could have expected it. I was asked at our anniversary celebration last fall: “10 years of MetrioPharm – which one was the most difficult?” I had to think about that question for a moment. The year 2007 is not far in the past, still the difficulties of that time feel oddly distant now.
In 2008, right after the founding of the company, we were in the same situation as countless other founders: at the height of the international financial crisis, it was very difficult to attract capital. The market environment was at ground level, not only in the biotech sector. Tough conditions for a young company.
In this challenging environment, we discovered that our compound was not what the research community expected at that time: we discovered that scientific publications and existing patents did not correctly describe the compound responsible for the medical effects.
We were convinced that the solution was hidden in our molecule and the team buried itself in the task of finding that solution. It was three years of hard work, but in the end MetrioPharm had a molecule that was more stable and effective than we had been hoping for. We had our lead compound MP1032 and we also had a completely new, more valuable patent portfolio. So this time of worries (and sleepless nights) should prove to be a great stroke of luck.
We owe this success to the patience of our investors and the persistence of our employees; they’ve stayed with us through these years.
Which brings us to the second part of the question I was asked on our anniversary party: “10 years of MetrioPharm – and which one was the best?” Here I had to think even longer. I remembered so many milestones.
In fact, I still haven’t been able to decide what to choose. The beginning of our ever-expanding patent protection since 2011? The success of our first clinical trial in 2015? Proof of our efficacy in psoriasis patients in 2017?
All these steps together have led us to our current Phase II study, which will commence in March and which we are already very much looking forward to. We want to show how different doses of MP1032 have an effect on different levels of psoriasis. Thus, MP1032 takes another big step from a lead compound to the actual drug.
So how about this answer: 2018 could become our best year to date.
Dr. Wolfgang Brysch, founder and CEO of MetrioPharm AG, meets investors and licensing partners all over the world. He introduces the company and answers their questions. Some of his answers are taken up in our presentations or in the annual reports. Other answers – especially to more unusual questions – have remained unpublished so far.
On the MetrioPharm Blog, Dr. Wolfgang Brysch picks up such questions and answers them publicly.
