UCB hosts research day in London to showcase new drugs

UCB, the Belgian pharmaceutical company, has announced the highlights of a research and design day in London in which has provided a “comprehensive overview” of its new products.

The company published positive phase II clinical trial results for brivaracetam, a new epilepsy treatment touted as a successor to Keppra, and seletracetam, which has demonstrated “potent efficacy” in very refractory patients.

In addition, UCB has reported that its regulatory approval programme for Cimzia, the Crohn’s disease treatment, is “on track”, allowing the company to “prepare well for the future”.

The firm also informed attendees of the progress of compounds further down the product pipeline, including an “innovative” triple target compound for depression, UCB 106607, and sclerostin, a treatment for osteoporosis being developed with Amgen.

Melanie Lee, executive vice president for research and development at UCB, remarked: “We have developed unique technologies and platforms that are yielding the innovative medicines that will lead UCB’s path into a new era.”

“I am confident that UCB’s pipeline will continue to show innovations, delivering medicines that treat severe diseases,” she added.

Ms Lee concluded by saying that 2006 had been an “exciting” year for UCB because the company had achieved major development milestones.

UCB has two research centres in the UK, based in Cambridge and Slough.