Wikipedia
Trophos was a biopharmaceutical company specialising in the discovery and development of novel therapeutics to treat both orphan neurodegenerative diseases and more prevalent disorders.
Trophos was founded in 1999 in Marseille by three scientists, Christopher Henderson, Olivier Pourquie and Jean-Louis Kraus and two entrepreneurs, Antoine Beret and Michel Delaage. Trophos' lead compound was TRO19622 / olesoxime. Olesoxime is a mitochondrial targeted compound, which is a member of a new class of therapeutic agents aimed at bringing significant therapeutic benefit to patients suffering from devastating neurological diseases. Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) is an autosomal recessive genetic disease that affects the motor neurons of the voluntary muscles used for activities such as crawling, walking, head and neck control and swallowing. SMA affects approximately 20,000 people worldwide. One in every 6,000 babies is born with SMA. It is the number one genetic cause of death in children under the age of two. Results from an international, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase II study involving 165 type II and non-ambulatory type III SMA patients, completed in February 2014 to assess safety and efficacy of olesoxime (TRO19622) were recently released. The data shows that patients treated with olesoxime were able to maintain motor function over the two-year period of the study and that typical health complications associated with SMA occurred less frequently than in patients treated with a placebo, leading to better well being.
In January 2015, Hoffmann-La Roche announced its intention to buy Trophos for upfront and up to in milestone performance payments.