Mercia Pharma Inc. is a privately held biotechnology company engaged in the discovery and development of disease-specific immunotherapeutic products. Merciaâs core adjuvanted self antigen immunotherapeutic technology was originally licensed from Aphton Corp. Using this approach, adjuvanted self-antigen immunotherapeutics targeting circulating hormones were clinically proven safe and effective in 1,500 patients, many of who were elderly and further immunocompromized by late stage cancer and chemotherapy. This technology has been further developed by Mercia to build a diverse pipeline of immunotherapeutic products. Based on this MERIT (MERcia Immunotherapeutic Technology) platform, products currently in development include therapeutics for Type 1 diabetes, Alzheimerâs disease, and asthma, and prophylactic products for seasonal and pandemic flu. Mercia is also researching future pipeline products for which disease-specific antigens have been identified. Each MERIT product is a unique construction designed to stimulate antigen-specific protective immune responses including antigen-specific regulatory T-cells, without provoking tissue destructive, cell-mediated inflammatory side effects. Immune tolerance to the patientâs own antigens are maintained and the risks of unwanted side effects, like autoimmunity or compromising the patientâs own ability to fight off infection, are avoided. Merciaâs corporate strategy is to focus on reducing risk and maximizing return by building a diverse pipeline of novel biological products, either by itself or with partners. Lead candidate discovery is conducted in collaboration with a number of academic experts. Subsequent development is streamlined because each pipeline candidate benefits from the extensive clinical safety and immunopharmacology database previously established with the core technology. A number of the companyâs development programs have been initially supported by government funded grants. This has allowed Mercia to retain ownership and maximize its return on investment while developing a diverse pipeline of novel products.
Merciaâs management team is experienced with a proven track record in pharmaceutical research, clinical and product development. Merciaâs team has taken a number of products based on the core technology into and through all stages of clinical development in both the US and Europe.
Mercia has established GMP-compliant manufacture for its products through a strategic alliance with Nova Laboratories, UK. Proprietary aseptic processes have been implemented to provide materials to support clinical trials through commercial batch sizes using fully validated process technology.
Mercia has a growing intellectual property portfolio on itâs un
