Stallergenes Greer invests in Adeo Health Science, a research-driven food company with a novel approach in food allergy
LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Stallergenes Greer (Paris:STAGR), a biopharmaceutical company specializing in treatments for respiratory allergies, announces a strategic investment in Adeo Health Science (“Adeo”) as part of an early-stage funding round. Adeo, a research-driven food company based in Boston, has developed organic and non-GMO fruit purees containing potentially allergenic proteins that can help parents integrate early allergen introduction into their infant’s diet.
Adeo’s approach is rooted in the findings of landmark studies that were published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The LEAP study1 demonstrated that regular consumption of peanuts by infants who are at high-risk for developing peanut allergy prevents the subsequent development of allergy. The EAT study2 3 showed that the early introduction of potentially allergenic foods (such as peanut, sesame, fish and egg) into the infant diet from three months may prevent the development of food allergy and other allergic diseases (such as eczema) in childhood.
Many of the potentially allergenic foods are not in a form easily eaten by infants. Nuts and seeds, even as sticky nut butters, are choking hazards for infants. Adeo is changing this paradigm by creating simple formulations that make early allergen introduction more broadly accessible. Inspired Start®, launched recently in the United States, is the first baby food designed to introduce eight of the most common allergens (peanut, egg, tree nut, soy, wheat, sesame, shrimp and cod) into the infant’s diet. Estimated at two percent among children4, peanut allergy alone is a large market with a high unmet need in the United States.
“Food allergy in children can be life threatening and is a significant unmet need. Our minority investment in Adeo Health Science provides us with an external platform to get a grasp of the food allergy market while remaining focused on driving execution in our core allergy immunotherapy business,” said Fereydoun Firouz, Chairman and CEO of Stallergenes Greer. “There is strong scientific rationale behind this investment as the LEAP and the EAT studies showed that the early introduction of allergens can reduce the risk of developing food allergies.”
“The partnership with Stallergenes Greer is a great way for us to bring minds together and deliver on our promise of helping the next generation,” said Clarence Friedman, founder and CEO of Adeo. “Stallergenes Greer has the scale and expertise to help us globally. We value their team’s entrepreneurial mindset and commitment to changing the allergy care paradigm.”
The financial impact of the transaction is not material to the company's finances. The amount of the investment was not disclosed. Stallergenes Greer will have a non-voting representative on Adeo’s Board of Directors.
ABOUT THE LEAP AND THE EAT STUDIES
The LEAP (Learning Early About Peanut Allergy) is a randomized controlled clinical trial designed and conducted by the Immune Tolerant Network (ITN) to determine the best strategy to prevent peanut allergy in young children. 640 children between 4 and 11 months of age who were identified as high risk for peanut allergy, based on an existing egg allergy and/or severe eczema, were enrolled in the study and randomized to either consume or avoid peanuts. Study results demonstrated that consumption of a peanut-containing snack by infants who are at high-risk for developing peanut allergy prevents the subsequent development of allergy. 17 percent of the children who avoided peanuts developed peanut allergies, while only three percent of the children who ate peanuts developed allergy by age 5.
The EAT (Enquiring About Tolerance) study is a randomized controlled intervention study that was contracted by Kings College London. It aimed to investigate whether the early introduction of six allergenic foods (milk, peanut, sesame, fish, egg and wheat) into the infant weaning diet, alongside breastfeeding, reduced the number of children developing food allergies and other allergic diseases such as eczema by three years of age. The study recruited 1,303 mothers and their infants. The study found that introducing allergenic foods into the infant diet from three months may be effective in food allergy prevention when sufficient amounts of allergenic foods are consumed.
Both studies were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
ABOUT ADEO HEALTH SCIENCE
Adeo Health Science is a research-driven food company with the mission of translating the latest food allergy research into easy to use, trusted products for families. The company is based in Boston, Massachusetts. Adeo’s Inspired Start® was launched in October 2017 in the United States.
ABOUT STALLERGENES GREER PLC
Headquartered in London (UK), Stallergenes Greer plc is a global healthcare company specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of allergies through the development and commercialization of allergy immunotherapy products and services. Stallergenes Greer plc is the parent company of GREER Laboratories, Inc. (whose registered office is in the US) and Stallergenes SAS (whose registered office is in France).
REFERENCES
| 1. | George Du Toit, M.B., B.Ch., Graham Roberts, D.M., Peter H. Sayre, M.D., Ph.D., Henry T. Bahnson, M.P.H., Suzana Radulovic, M.D., Alexandra F. Santos, M.D., Helen A. Brough, M.B., B.S., Deborah Phippard, Ph.D., Monica Basting, M.A., Mary Feeney, M.Sc., R.D., Victor Turcanu, M.D., Ph.D., Michelle L. Sever, M.S.P.H., Ph.D., Margarita Gomez Lorenzo, M.D., Marshall Plaut, M.D., and Gideon Lack, M.B., B.Ch., for the LEAP Study Team* Randomized Trial of Peanut Consumption in Infants at Risk for Peanut Allergy. New England Journal of Medicine (2015). DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1414850. | |
| 2. | Michael R. Perkin, Ph.D., Kirsty Logan, Ph.D., Anna Tseng, R.D., Bunmi Raji, R.D., Salma Ayis, Ph.D., Janet Peacock, Ph.D., Helen Brough, Ph.D., Tom Marrs, B.M., B.S., Suzana Radulovic, M.D., Joanna Craven, M.P.H., Carsten Flohr, Ph.D., and Gideon Lack, M.B., B.Ch., for the EAT Study Team. Randomized Trial of Introduction of Allergenic Foods in Breast-Fed Infants. New England Journal of Medicine (2016). 374:1733-1743. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1514210. | |
| 3. |
EAT Study: Early Introduction of Allergenic Foods to Induce Tolerance. Food Standards Agency UK. March 4, 2016. https://www.food.gov.uk/science/research/allergy-research/t07051. |
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| 4. | Gupta RS, Springston EE, Warrier MR, Smith B, Kumar R, Pongracic J, et al. The Prevalence, Severity, and Distribution of Childhood Food Allergy in the United States. Pediatrics 2011;128:e9-17. |
TRADING INFORMATION
Name: Stallergenes Greer
ISIN: GB00BZ21RF93 1 - Ticker: STAGR
ICB Classification: 4577
Market: Euronext Paris regulated market
Additional information is available at http://www.stallergenesgreer.com.
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