World Report

Research into marine organisms by the Zeltia group could provide effective new drugs for the treatment of cancers

More than 40,000 samples of organic matter from the ocean have been tested by researchers

nnovation has brought big rewards for the Galician chemicals and biotechnology group Zeltia, a star performer on the Madrid stock exchange, which is ranked sixth in the chemical and pharmaceutical sectors in Europe.
“I believe that innovation is the key to success,” says Zeltia’s President, José Mariá Fernández Sousa-Faro. “It is the hardest thing to do. It is about looking for something nobody else is doing and then taking the risk to do it. Innovation is in our company’s spirit.”

With more than 60 years of experience, Zeltia is the market leader in a range of activities. Companies within the group include: Xylazel, the Spanish leader in wood treatment products; the biotechnology firm PharmaGen, the Spanish number one on the genetic identification market; insecticides manufacturer Zelnova; and the pharmaceutical group Immunal, which develops medications to treat allergies.

Zeltia’s greatest potential, however, could lie in the pioneering work being done by PharmaMar, the first Spanish biopharmaceutical company devoted to the discovery and development of anti-cancer drugs derived from marine organisms.
“Our aim is to demonstrate that the sea is an excellent, and as yet unexploited source for future medicines,” Mr Fernández explains.

JOSÉ MARÍA FERNÁNDEZ SOUSA-FARO
President of Zeltia S.A.

‘Innovation is the hardest thing to do, but is the key to success’

More than 40,000 samples of organic matter of marine origin have been tested by the company’s scientists in the search for new treatments.

The most clinically advanced of the marine-based drugs that Zeltia is developing is ET-743, given the trade name Yondelis, to treat soft tissue sarcomas. The drug is derived from a small invertebrate or sea squirt.
Zeltia has a £60 million-plus licensing deal with partner Johnson & Johnson to market Yondelis once the product receives approval by the FDA, the US government agency responsible for ensuring that drugs are safe and effective.

Last year, Zeltia opened a capital market operations department, which contacts investment funds through investment banks. Mr Fernández says: “We have done this mainly within Europe and on the American east coast. Now we are trying to move west – the American mid-west and west coast.”