By Hamed Mahmoud
Boehringer Ingelheim stepped up its investments in R&D significantly in 2020 in pursuit of innovative medicines and therapies for diseases that have no satisfactory treatments available. In particular, efforts to research potential COVID-19 related therapies were accelerated. The company spent 3.7 billion EUR on R&D, 7% more than the previous year. This represents the highest annual investment in R&D in the 136-year history of the research-driven biopharmaceutical company.
“At Boehringer Ingelheim, we are driven by the passion to improve both animal and human health. It is a point of pride to see the strides made by the team following six decades of operations in the market,” said Dr. Mohamed Meshref, General Manager at Boehringer Ingelheim Egypt. “As the first regional operation outpost, we have and will continue striving towards accelerating the availability of innovative therapeutics and medical solutions across the country for years to come.
Through our local teams’ tireless efforts as well as our collaborations with our trusted partners in Egypt, we have launched numerous successful campaigns to raise the public awareness for both patients with Type 2 diabetes and Stroke aiming to better the lives of the local community, such as “For Your Diabetes and Heart” to increase the awareness about the relation between T2D and cardiovascular diseases and our ‘Angels’ initiative, which offered support to Stroke management Healthcare community. As we continue the 2021 year, we will stive towards moving closer towards our goal of ensuring that all citizens countrywide who rely on us have continuous access to our supply of medicines,” he added.
Building on its vast knowledge in various therapeutic areas, such as respiratory diseases and virology, Boehringer Ingelheim is engaged in several projects aimed at finding medical solutions to treat COVID-19. In December 2020, the company announced together with Cologne University Hospital (UKK), the University of Marburg (UMR), and the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) the initiation of Phase I/II clinical investigation of BI 767551, a SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody and potential new therapeutic and prophylactic option to reduce the potential risk and effects of a COVID-19 infection. Other COVID-19 initiatives include the research and development of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies that can neutralize the virus, small molecules to inhibit its replication, and therapy development to prevent micro coagulation (blood clots).
