Formerly known as Healthcare Investment Opportunities. Please refer to the HIO thread for previous posts.

On 10 December 2013, the Company ( Healthcare Investment Opportunities ) announced the Reverse Takeover of Collbio Limited ("Collbio"), which is expected to become unconditional on 2 January 2014. Collbio manufactures medical grade collagen components for use in regenerative medicine, medical devices and in-vitro diagnostics. Its capabilities include the development and contract manufacture of collagen-based medical devices and the provision of soluble collagen products. Collbio has a contract with Cardium for the manufacture and supply of Excellagen, a wound care product indicated for the treatment of diabetic foot ulcers.

Full announcement made by Cardium on 4 December 2013:

"Cardium Therapeutics (NYSE MKT: CXM) announces that Cardium's Excellagen(R), a wound care product indicated for the treatment of hard to heal wounds such as diabetic foot ulcers and pressure ulcers as well as other dermal wounds, has been assigned a new and unique, Level II HCPCS (Health Care Common Procedure Coding System) product reimbursement code, Q4149. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) made their determination to assign Excellagen a Q code after review of Cardium's HCPCS Level II Code Modification Request and subsequent supporting information. This new reimbursement code takes effect January 1, 2014.

Excellagen is a syringe-based prescription-only product for treating a wide range of wounds that is applied weekly in the office or hospital outpatient setting by a licensed clinician. This unique Q code is an important designation for providing a method for billing a product under Medicare and is utilized by many private payers as well. Q code designations represent an important step forward for the reimbursement process under Medicare.

Cardium's submission to CMS focused on Excellagen's unique product formulation and format, as well as maintenance during manufacture of collagen's structural properties that support chemotaxis, cellular adhesion, migration and proliferation, and granulation tissue development. The unique Q code assigned by CMS designates Excellagen as a single source product with a structural and functional role in providing a favorable wound healing environment.

"The Q code designation places Excellagen under the same code classification as well-known skin substitute wound care products such as Dermagraft(R), Graftjacket(R) Xpress, EpiFix(R) and Integra(R) Flowable Wound Matrix. We believe Excellagen offers a compelling relative economic value proposition for wound care professionals in comparison to many of its competitors. The assignment of a new and unique Q code is an important building block in our strategy as we continue to credentialize and establish the evidence-based value for Excellagen," commented Christopher Reinhard, Cardium's CEO.

Excellagen is a sterile, syringe-based, professional-use, physiologically formulated homogenate of purified bovine dermal collagen (Type I) in its native, 3-dimensional fibrillar configuration, providing a structural scaffold for chemotaxis, cellular adhesion, migration and proliferation, and wound granulation. Excellagen's FDA clearance provides for very broad labeling including partial and full-thickness wounds, pressure ulcers, venous ulcers, diabetic ulcers, chronic vascular ulcers, tunneled/undermined wounds, surgical wounds (donor sites/graft, post-Mohs surgery, post-laser surgery, podiatric, wound dehiscence), trauma wounds (abrasions, lacerations, second-degree burns and skin tears) and draining wounds. Excellagen is intended for professional use following standard debridement procedures. Excellagen's unique fibrillar Type I bovine collagen homogenate formulation is topically applied through easy-to-control, pre-filled, sterile, single-use syringes and is designed for application at only one-week intervals."

Consider the following facts:
•About one in three diabetic individuals will surely develop a foot ulcer during their lifetime, which if left untreated may develop into diabetic foot gangrene.
•About 85 percent of all limb amputations in diabetic individuals are followed by foot ulcers.
•Every 30 seconds, a lower limb amputation is carried out due to diabetes throughout the world.
•The mortality rate due to diabetic foot gangrene is just next to cancer death rate.

How do diabetics develop foot infections?

Diabetes predisposes an individual to several changes in the body and causes known problems such as heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney problems and nerve dysfunction. Nerve dysfunction is one of the reasons of foot ulcers in diabetic individuals. It is often painless and may cause numbness in the feet which signals danger because the sensation of pain is essential to protect the body from injuries. Numb feet are more exposed to damage while walking barefoot or stepping on sharp objects that can cause injury. Exertion of additional pressure on the inflamed area while walking leads to the development of callus (hard and thickened areas) which develops into a deep blister. Inflamed blisters gradually break into a wound.

A foot ulcer or a wound is nothing but a rupture in the skin that exposes the underneath tissue. Since diabetic individuals are more prone to infection due to suppressed immune system, the developed wound serves as a site of entry for bacteria which multiply rapidly and enter into deeper tissues.

Diabetes also hampers normal blood circulation of the body which weakens its wound-healing ability. With poor circulation, infected wounds grow deeper exposing the underlying muscle, tendon or bone. The deeper the wound gets, the more difficult it is to heal.

Investment in Jellagen Pty Ltd welcomed
RNS
RNS Number : 9211D
Collagen Solutions PLC
03 April 2014



Collagen Solutions Plc

(the "Company" or the "Group")



Investment in strategic partner Jellagen Pty Ltd welcomed



Collagen Solutions plc (AIM: COS), the developer and manufacturer of medical grade collagen components for use in regenerative medicine, medical devices and in-vitro diagnostics, announces that one of its strategic partners Jellagen Pty Ltd has secured its first external investment led by Finance Wales. Jellagen aims to be the world's first provider of pharma grade, GMP and ISO certified Type I and Type II jellyfish collagen.



Collagen Solutions (UK) Ltd, previously Collbio Limited, the wholly owned GMP manufacturing subsidiary of Collagen Solutions, now owns 10.5% of the outstanding shares of Jellagen, following a first tranche investment of £400,000 made by a consortium led by Finance Wales.



Jellagen offers the full spectrum of jellyfish derived collagen proteins e.g. Type I - Type V and others, as well as a range of additional products for derma care and medical device applications. Jellagen operates from a processing facility in Pembrokeshire, Wales. Jellagen's medical grade material is produced by Collagen Solutions and therefore it is a significant strategic benefit for them to align more closely with Collagen Solutions going forward.



Stewart White, Chief Executive Officer of Collagen Solutions, said: "We welcome this investment in Jellagen Pty Ltd as this will ensure Jellagen's development and Collagen Solutions' manufacture of this novel source of collagen biomaterials. The Company congratulates Jellagen on this achievement and we look forward to working with and assisting Jellagen in advancing their pipeline of products."

RNS
RNS Number : 1589H
Collagen Solutions PLC
15 May 2014





Collagen Solutions Plc

(the "Company" or the "Group")



Excellagen®enters new clinical trial



Collagen Solutions plc (AIM: COS), the developer and manufacturer of medical grade collagen components for use in regenerative medicine, medical devices and in-vitro diagnostics, announces that Excellagen®, a product based on Collagen Solutions' medical grade bovine collagen, has been selected as part of a clinical evaluation in a Phase 1b safety study for the potential treatment of chronic diabetic wounds to be funded via project "REDDSTAR" which has received more than Euro 5 million from the European Union under EU Framework 7 (FP7).



Excellagen® flowable dermal matrix, manufactured by Taxus Cardium Pharmaceuticals Group Inc ("Cardium"), is a pharmaceutically formulated fibrillar Type I bovine collagen gel for wound care management which is based on the medical grade collagen supplied by Collagen Solutions and has been cleared by the FDA for the treatment of chronic non-healing dermal wounds. In this trial, Excellagen® is being used in combination with the mesenchymal stromal stem cell therapy Cyndacel-M™ manufactured by Orbsen Therapeutics. This means that the Company's medical grade collagen is now embedded in Cardium's value chain. This clinical evaluation Phase 1b safety study is being coordinated at Ireland's Regenerative Medicine Institute at the National University of Ireland Galway (NUI).



50 million diabetic EU citizens are using approved anti-diabetic agents to control their glycaemia. However, suboptimal glycaemic control leads to progressive diabetic complications, namely: nephropathy, retinopathy, cardiomyopathy, neuropathy and foot ulceration. In 2010, 11% of EU adult deaths (634,000) were caused by diabetic complications. Investigation of this combination therapy could be instrumental in reducing those unnecessary deaths considerably.



Commenting on this announcement, Dr Stewart White, CEO of Collagen Solutions said: "We are supplying medical grade collagen products to an increasing number of regenerative medicine and medical device companies. In many cases it has been shown that these collagen constructs have utility beyond their initial registration for use. Excellagen® is a prime example of this where our partnership with Cardium has helped create the product and, following registration, Cardium have been able to explore additional uses for the product which exemplifies the value provided by Collagen Solutions to such products."

Collagen Solutions signs exclusive licence
StockMarketWire.com
Collagen Solutions has announced the exclusive licensing of intellectual property generated in the laboratory of Professor Robert Brown at University College London (UCL). The core patent, already granted in the US, describes a breakthrough platform technology for the production of stronger, more durable, living collagen-based 'tissues'. Using the novel process covered by the licence, the production process creates collagen materials with a significant range of additional clinical applications in the replacement of tissues such as skin, tendon, bone and even cartilage, blood vessels and nerve conduits.

The most significant advantage of these natural, living materials are their physical strength and rapid production times. This means that surgeons will be able to implant them sooner, whilst at the same time, there is the potential to have the novel collagen-based products customised to the precise needs of the patient and their injury.

From a business and manufacturing perspective, there is also the advantage that the collagen sources used for these materials are many times more efficient than current comparable collagen feed-stocks. These advantages will inevitably assist other areas of clinical research into technologies for rapid and specific fabrication of novel tissues using bio-lamination or 3D bio-printing which are presently very difficult due to the lack of suitable support materials. It is envisaged that this platform technology will enable the creation of a new generation of collagen based tissue replacements for use in a far wider patient population than is presently feasible with added potential to expedite both autologous and allogeneic cell therapies.

Chief executive Dr Stewart White said: "This licence is hugely significant for Collagen Solutions as it places us at the very centre of the future of collagen engineering.

"With our own know-how and exclusive access to the technology developed in Professor Brown's laboratory, we believe that this combination will make us the 'go to' company for any company looking to create biomaterial-based tissue regeneration and repair products. The licensing of this IP is designed to integrate our specialist collagen capabilities with the diverse biomedical capacity and global research standing of UCL and will drive forward patient benefit in many new areas of regenerative medicine."



Story provided by StockMarketWire.com

Jellagen Collaboration
RNS
RNS Number : 5369U
Collagen Solutions PLC
17 October 2014

Collagen Solutions Plc

(the "Company" or the "Group")



Funded Research Collaboration with Jellagen

Collagen Solutions plc (AIM: COS), the developer and manufacturer of medical grade collagen components for use in regenerative medicine, medical devices and in-vitro diagnostics, announces that it will be collaborating with Jellagen Pty Ltd ('Jellagen') as part of a Small firms' Merit Award for Research and Technology ('SMART') grant to improve the production of medical grade collagen derived from jellyfish.



The SMART funding from Innovate UK amounts to almost £100k and will help Jellagen improve their product quality as well as the efficiency of collagen extraction from jellyfish. This funding will also be used to investigate, alongside Collagen Solutions, Swansea University's Centre for Nano Health and University College London ('UCL'), the utilisation of jellyfish derived, medical grade, Type II and Type V collagen for the fabrication of various medical devices. This will include the generation of specific biological data on the use of this improved collagen for applications in bone grafts



Stewart White, CEO of Collagen Solutions commented: "We require access to consistent supplies of medical grade collagen derived from jellyfish and therefore made a strategic investment in Jellagen when it was founded. We see this as a reliable and renewable source of novel medical grade collagen which we can then help to fabricate into potential medical products. This development work will be carried out with the support of our in-house teams in San Diego and Glasgow. The SMART funding will allow Collagen Solutions to provide further support in order to develop novel commercial forms of Jellyfish collagen for Jellagen."

 


Collagen Solutions pre-tax losses rise

StockMarketWire.com

Collagen Solutions posts pre-tax losses of £560,831 for the six months to he end of September - up from £62,631 last time - and announced the proposed acquisition of New Zealand based Southern Lights Biomaterials and a placing to raise £6m.

Revenue for the first six months was £143,213 (2013: £NIL). Administrative expenses were £467,672, (2013: £62,631) reflecting the costs of operating a public company and the related regulatory costs. Selling and marketing costs were £161,171 (2013: £NIL), LBITDA for the first six months was (£522,144) (2013: (£62,631)), and the loss per share was (0.88)p (2013: (0.15)p). Net cash used in operations during the period was £482,476. The Group's cash balances at 30 September 2014 were £927,094 (31 March 2014: £1,491,660).

The company says the proposed acquisition of New Zealand based Southern Lights Ventures 2002 Limited (trading as Southern Lights Biomaterials) for a total maximum consideration of NZ$12m (c. £6m) in cash and shares is a logical strategic extension and complementary acquisition that provides additional security of supply of high grade collagen.

The company also announced a conditional placing to raise £6m at 7p, representing c. 50.13% of the enlarged issued share capital at admission. Directors are subscribing for a total of 9,285,714 Placing Shares



Story provided by StockMarketWire.com

Collagen Solutions PLC

24 November 2014

Collagen Solutions Plc

(the "Company" or the "Group")

Grant of Option

Collagen Solutions plc (AIM: COS), the developer and manufacturer of medical grade collagen components for use in regenerative medicine, medical devices and in-vitro diagnostics, is pleased to announce that it has today granted an option to Gillian Black, Chief Financial Officer, over up to 1,000,000 new ordinary shares of one penny each in the Company ("Ordinary Shares") pursuant to the terms of the EMI Share Option Scheme ("Option") exercisable at a price of 7.75p.

The Option will become exercisable from 1 January 2017 subject to Ms Black remaining in employment with the Company (or any other member of the Company's Group) and the achievement of either of the following two targets:

1) the market value of an Ordinary Share being equal to or greater than 27p on any date after the date of grant; and

2) the Company's earnings per share in any financial year which ends after the date of grant being equal to or greater than 1p.

Following the grant of the Option, the total number of options outstanding over Ordinary Shares is 5,938,349 equivalent to 9.30% of the Company's existing issued share capital.

Southern Lights Biomaterials Acquisition Completed

RNS

RNS Number : 3045Z
Collagen Solutions PLC
10 December 2014
 


Collagen Solutions Plc
(the "Company" or the "Group")
 
 Southern Lights Biomaterials Acquisition Completed
 
Collagen Solutions plc (AIM: COS), the developer and manufacturer of medical grade collagen components for use in regenerative medicine, medical devices and in-vitro diagnostics, announces the completion of the acquisition of Southern Light Biomaterials ('SLB'), a profitable business converting collagen and other biological materials into value added products which are supplied to clients for further processing or by direct sales to customers.
 
The acquisition of SLB has further de-risked the Company's business model and is a logical strategic extension and complementary in nature to the Company's existing business model.
 
Benefits of the combined business:
 
·     Profit added (EBITDA of £273,911 in year ended March 2014)
·     Increased IP and know-how around biomaterial development and manufacture
·     Secure raw material from registered BSE free sources
·     Focus on creating higher value formulations of collagen
·     Critical mass as a global supplier with increased geographic reach
·     Security of production and increased capacity via additional production site
·     Wider range of processed raw materials, e.g. pericardium
·     Combined international operations in North America, Europe and New Zealand
·     New regional strength in Asia
·     Turn-key solutions using biomaterials from "source to device"
·     Geoff Bennett joins Collagen Solutions board as Chief Business Officer
 
Collagen Solutions and SLB have a complementary history, culture and strategy which makes the merger of the two businesses a logical move. The benefits of the merger include security of source material as SLB provides processed and semi processed bovine biomaterials, secured exclusively from New Zealand, a country the World Organisation for Animal Health describes as a 'negligible BSE risk' country.
 
SLB is based in the North Island of New Zealand, and benefits from being close to a readily available and consistent source of high quality and safe tissue. Like Collagen Solutions, SLB is a provider of processed and semi-processed biomaterials to medical device manufacturers and serves an increasing international client base with particular strengths in South Korea and other Asian countries where Collagen Solutions had no previous presence.
 
The acquisition gives the enlarged Group access to additional manufacturing capacity of medical grade collagen.  With the combined expertise of the two companies and access to North America and Asia it would be expected that more value added products will be demanded, increasing the price per gram that can be charged by the enlarged Group.
 
Overall the Group now:
 
·     Trades in Europe, North America and Asia
·     Benefits from a number of long term client arrangements 
·     Has a product catalogue which includes various grades of medical collagen as well as a range of other biomaterials that will be offered to the expanded Group's customer base
·     Manufactures collagen products  which are present in a range of registered products 
·     Produces medical grade collagen which should be of increased interest to medical device manufacturers
·     Has increased capacity and capability to manufacture medical grade biomaterials
·     Is working on a number of development projects which will benefit from the newly formed Collagen Solutions Group, which the Directors believe will result in higher value added sales
 
Commenting on the first day of trading of the combined Group's shares, Dr Stewart White, CEO of Collagen Solutions said: "This is a very good acquisition for Collagen Solutions.  The enlarged Group is well positioned to grow as the demand for medical grade collagen and collagen-based materials find increasing use in regenerative medicine and diagnostics. This represents a very significant step in completing the strategic aim of having a market capitalisation for the Group of £100m by 2020."
 
For additional information on Collagen Solutions, please visit www.collagensolutions.co.uk

Giltspur Nominees just bought a large chunk here.

Reyker Nominees bought in.

Contract signed with Kyeron

RNS

RNS Number : 7068Z
Collagen Solutions PLC
15 December 2014
 


Collagen Solutions Plc
15 December 2014                                    (the "Company" or " Collagen Solutions")
 
Commercial supply of fibrous collagen powder agreed with KYERON
for the development of a wound management device
 
Collagen Solutions plc (AIM: COS), the developer and manufacturer of medical grade collagen components for use in regenerative medicine, medical devices and in-vitro diagnostics, announces that its subsidiary Collagen Solutions (UK) Limited has signed an agreement with KYERON Medical Innovations (KYERON) to develop and supply fibrous collagen powder for the manufacture of a wound management device.
 
Collagen Solutions is committed to providing the highest quality, medical grade biomaterials to support medical devices and other products for regenerative medicine across a wide range of applications and clinical indications. Collagen Solutions will use its expanded development capability in the UK, US and New Zealand to develop a specific grade of fibrous collagen powder which KYERON will then formulate into a product for commercialization in the growing wound management market.
 
KYERON was formed in 2007 and is a private Dutch biomaterials company based in Enschede, the Netherlands, specialising in developing solutions to medical needs. Its products use the innovative biomaterial knowledge of the Company to produce a range of products for various orthopaedic, neurosurgical and periodontal tissue grafting procedures.
 
Dr Stewart White, Chief Executive Officer of Collagen Solutions said, "This agreement to provide our medical grade fibrous collagen is an excellent example of how we now bring together our development capability and world-recognised expertise in the manufacture of medical grade collagen products. We are capable of providing clients with a product that meets their needs precisely. We are pleased to see that KYERON has the confidence in the capabilities of Collagen Solutions to identify and manufacture consistently and in sufficient quantity, collagen products to satisfy their commercial needs as demand for their products grow.  More importantly, we can support KYERON with respect to regulatory submissions for new products containing our collagen."
 
Chief Executive Officer of KYERON, Mr. Ronny Masselink said, "We are a manufacturer of innovative products using the best available raw materials. This is a great opportunity for us to work closely with a collagen specialist that can provide us with the highest grade materials consistently. Collagen Solutions will be our partner in the development of a fibrous collagen powder to benefit those patients suffering acute and chronic wounds. We see Collagen Solutions as our preferred supplier for these raw materials for this and other collagen-based biomaterials such as bone graft substitutes. Working with them we now have access to the required state-of-art collagen technology to create our next generation of innovative products."
 

Nice uptrend on the chart since the beginning of November - will it continue?

Helium Rising Stars Fund just bought in - 10.7million.

New contract to supply Desu Medical

RNS

RNS Number : 3876A
Collagen Solutions PLC
22 December 2014
 


22 December 2014          
 
Collagen Solutions Plc
(the "Company" or the "Group")
 
New contract with Desu Medical for the supply of soluble collagen
 
Collagen Solutions plc (AIM: COS), the developer and manufacturer of medical grade collagen components for use in regenerative medicine, medical devices and in-vitro diagnostics, announces that its subsidiary Collagen Solutions (UK) Limited has agreed a contract with Desu Medical to supply soluble collagen. This agreement is for the manufacturing of brain dura and spinal fusion implants which will be used in the treatment of dura/spinal injuries by stimulating enhanced dura/bone generation through the use of high concentration collagen. Dura is the thick membrane that surrounds and protects the brain and spinal cord.
 
Collagen Solutions is committed to providing the highest quality collagen-based biomaterials to support medical devices and regenerative medical interventions across a wide range of applications and clinical indications. The announcement confirms that its soluble collagen will be used in the production of Desu Medical's brain and spinal implants DECOLL® and DEBONE®.
 
Dr Stewart White, CEO of Collagen Solutions plc said: "We are pleased to announce that we have reached an agreement for the supply of our soluble collagen product to Desu Medical. This agreement is the culmination of a long association with Desu Medical during which we have been supplying developmental quantities of medical grade collagen. Winning this contract is based on our ability to convince such an established Company that we can supply a medical grade collagen suitable for manufacturing their products consistently and to order, for the life of the product line. It is important for companies to secure their source of the collagen early in the commercialisation process as this will become part of the regulatory submissions for their products around the World. The long term provision of our medical grade collagen for an increasing number of products begins to unlock the value that we have in our manufacturing capabilities."
 
Dr Mehmet Sorar, CEO of Desu Medical said: "We are equally pleased to announce our agreement with Collagen Solutions. Our aim is to make our products - DEBONE® and DECOLL®, which contain up to 90% soluble collagen - leading brands in the market. We hope that our collaboration will last for many years to come."
 

Updated broker's note on the website:
www.collagensolutions.com

tick, tick,tick

Contract signed with Globus Medical Inc.

RNS

RNS Number : 2193B
Collagen Solutions PLC
05 January 2015
 


Collagen Solutions Plc
5 January 2015                            (the "Company" or the "Group")
 
Commercial supply of a collagen powder to Globus Medical Inc.
 
Collagen Solutions plc (AIM: COS), the developer and manufacturer of medical grade collagen components for use in regenerative medicine, medical devices and in-vitro diagnostics, announces that its subsidiary Collagen Solutions (UK) Limited has agreed a contract with Globus Medical Inc. (NYSE: GMED) to supply fibrous collagen powder for use in the manufacture of their bone grafting products.
 
Globus Medical Inc. is a leading musculoskeletal implant manufacturer driving significant technological advancements across a complete suite of spinal products. Founded in 2003, with sales of $434.5 million in 2013, Globus' single-minded focus on advancing spinal surgery has made it one of the fastest growing companies in the history of orthopaedics. Globus is driven to utilise superior engineering and technology to achieve pain free, active lives for all patients with spinal disorders.
 
Dr Stewart White, Chief Executive Officer of Collagen Solutions plc said: "Our agreement with Globus today comes at an exciting time for the company.  Globus utilising our fibrous collagen powder is another example of how Collagen Solutions will realise its value, through strong and long partnerships with customers, founded on early stage commitment and the provision of quality, competitive collagen materials to ensure the provision of cost effective health care for patients."
 
Chief Executive Officer of Globus Medical Inc., David Paul said: "Collagen Solutions' technical and quality expertise is value-adding to our product and is the basis on which we have made this commitment today. Collagen Solutions is an important material provider in our supply chain and we look forward to a long association with the company."
 

CEO Presents at OneMedForum

RNS

RNS Number : 4626B
Collagen Solutions PLC
07 January 2015
 


7 January 2015  
 
Collagen Solutions Plc
(the "Company" or the "Group")
 
CEO to present at the OneMedForum
 
Collagen Solutions plc (AIM: COS), the developer and manufacturer of medical grade collagen components for use in regenerative medicine, medical devices and in-vitro diagnostics, announces that its CEO, Stewart White, will be presenting at OneMedForum on 12 January 2015 in San Francisco.
 
Formerly known as the H&Q (Hambrecht & Quist) Conference, OneMedForum is an industry summit for healthcare financiers, industry executives and growth companies from around the world. The objective of OneMedForum is to assemble the most promising companies and technologies in health and medicine and help them to successfully connect with the industry's leading investors and healthcare executives.
 
Dr Stewart White, Chief Executive Officer of Collagen Solutions plc said: "We were pleased to be invited to attend and present at this very prestigious conference. The Company has made significant progress in the last twelve months demonstrating both its global reach and diversified business model.  This is an ideal forum to present these achievements to a global audience of companies and investors."
 
Presentations and interviews with executives will be available on a webcast and thereafter archived.  Details of how to access the webcast and archive will be made available ahead of the meeting.