Investment summary

Paion is moving beyond the ischaemic stroke project desmoteplase, recently sold to Lundbeck, and will attempt to turn itself into an anaesthesiology-focused European speciality business. This will involve the potential licensing-in of local rights to marketed anaesthetic agents, and building these around the company's lead project, remimazolam, to meet the needs of the typical anaesthetist’s 'toolbox'. Local rights to remimazolam, for instance in Germany, might also be retained, and this could prove attractive to potential partners. Following the desmoteplase sale we forecast sufficient cash to last into 2014.

Last updated on 23/04/2012

Industry outlook

Remimazolam has important advantages over competing products, including fast onset and offset of action and the fact that a reversal agent exists if there is oversedation. Morphine-6-glucuronide has an interesting competitive profile, although Paion is at present funding only the maintenance of its patents.

Last updated on 23/04/2012