Founded in 2007, Alizé Pharma is a group of privately held biopharmaceutical companies specialized in the development of innovative biopharmaceutical drugs, proteins and peptides, for the treatment of metabolic diseases and cancer.

The group acquires R&D programs from public or private laboratories, selecting them according to strict criteria, with particular concern for medical needs and innovation. It then handles preclinical and clinical development and establishes partnerships with the pharmaceutical industry via co-development or out-licensing agreements, in order to secure both near-term and long term revenue streams. Alizé Pharma considers its main added value to be in the expertise of its team who is specialized in drug development and able to bring many years of successful experience in this field.

The first of the two entities of the Group, Alizé Pharma SAS., is dedicated to AZP-01, a program based on a new therapeutic target for the treatment of Type II diabetes. This molecule and its analogs are derived from unacylated ghrelin, a natural peptide. This program is being developed in collaboration with Erasmus University Medical Center (Rotterdam), the Netherlands, and University of Torino, Italy. Available preclinical and preliminary clinical data suggest that unacylated ghrelin analogs have a therapeutic potential in diabetes through a novel mechanism of action that includes a proliferative effect of beta cells, insulin-sensitizing actions as well as glucose and lipid-lowering effects. They have the potential not only to control the disease but also to have a positive impact on other cardiovascular risk factors such as obesity, dyslipidemia and vascular remodeling. The parent molecule and its analogs are protected by four patent families worldwide.

The second program, AZP-02, named ASPAREC®, is developed within Alizé Pharma II SAS, the second entity of the Group. ASPAREC is a proprietary PEGylated recombinant Erwinia chrysantemi-derived L-asparaginase that has significant potential to become a key product as a treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in patients with hypersensitivity to E. coli-derived L-asparaginase. Preclinical data indicate that ASPAREC is both longer acting and less immunogenic than the currently available Erwinia chrysanthemi derived L-asparaginase product. ASPAREC is currently in Phase I development in France. It is protected by a patent filed internationally, and by orphan drug designations granted both in the US and Europe.

Alizé Pharma is based in Ecully, near Lyon, France. Its management is made up of a team of drug development experts and a board of directors offering wide international experience. Overall, the group has raised EUR 4.8 million from private and institutional investors since its inception. Participating investors in the financing rounds completed so far include Octalfa SAS, a French holding company owned by Gilles Alberici, PhD, former Founder and President of OPi SA; CEMA Inc., a Canadian holding company owned by André de Villers, MD, former Founder, President & CEO of Theratechnologies Inc (TH.TO) and Celmed Biosciences Inc; and SHAM, a Lyon-based insurance company specialized in medical malpractice liability insurance.