Almirall announces a collaboration with the University of Michigan to gain understanding of disease drivers in hidradenitis suppurativa

BARCELONA, Spain, March 15^th 2022 – Almirall, S.A. (ALM), a global biopharmaceutical company focused on skin health, today announced a collaboration agreement with the University of Michigan to accelerate the understanding of the factors that trigger hidradenitis suppurativa, a chronic and inflammatory skin condition. Through this partnership, Almirall's expertise in skin diseases will be combined with the knowledge of the Dermatology Department at the University of Michigan, led by Dr. Johann E. Gudjonsson, to investigate relevant aspects of this disease such as chronic disease dissection and fibrosis.

Hidradenitis suppurativa is caused by occlusion of the hair follicle and it affects broad areas of the body such as the axillae, inguinal, anogenital, gluteal and inframammary area. The dilated hair follicle ruptures, spilling its contents into the dermis and causing an inflammatory response, nodules, abscesses and, in later stages, sinus tract formation and scarring.

Despite substantial advances in the understanding of the disease in recent years, its pathogenesis is not fully understood and it is associated with relevant comorbidities that significantly decrease the quality of life of patients[i]. Moreover, the treatment of hidradenitis suppurativa is challenging and often requires surgery.

“This partnership aims for a deeper understanding of hidradenitis suppurativa, a complex disease with large unmet medical needs. An in-depth knowledge of disease drivers will enable novel therapeutic approaches to provide treatment options for patients suffering from this severe condition”, stated Dr. Thomas Huber, Research Director at Almirall.

 “This collaboration will provide resources that we hope will greatly increase our understanding of the critical disease mechanisms that drive the pathogenesis of hidradenitis using state-of-the-art technologies and analytics”, said Johann E. Gudjonsson, M.D., Ph.D., professor of dermatology at University of Michigan Health, Michigan Medicine. “We envision that this will greatly accelerate the path from discovery to novel treatments, which will help us better treat this disease.”

SHINE, Almirall’s initiative to drive sustainable innovation in dermatology

The partnership with the University of Michigan is part of SHINE, an initiative launched by Almirall that aims to boost innovation in dermatology by promoting collaborations with centres of excellence. This project will also allow for a deeper understanding of dermatological diseases, access to new technologies and the discovery of innovative therapeutic approaches.

This initiative is a further demonstration of Almirall's commitment to science excellence and collaboration with the scientific community to provide potential new solutions in key therapeutic areas. The project will create substantial value for Almirall by enriching the R&D portfolio with innovative projects and indication expansion, increasing the quality and speed of R&D execution.

Dr. Johan Gudjonsson has been a paid consultant for Almirall since 2019.

About Almirall

Almirall is a global biopharmaceutical company focused on skin health. We collaborate with scientists and healthcare professionals to address patient’s needs through science to improve their lives.  Our Noble Purpose is at the core of our work: “Transform the patients' world by helping them realize their hopes and dreams for a healthy life”. We invest in differentiated and ground-breaking medical dermatology products to bring our innovative solutions to patients in need. 

The company, founded in 1943 and headquartered in Barcelona, is publicly traded on the Spanish Stock Exchange and is a member of the IBEX35 (ticker: ALM). Throughout its 78-year history, Almirall has retained a strong focus on the needs of patients. Currently, Almirall has a direct presence in 21 countries and strategic agreements in over 70, with about 1,800 employees. Total revenues in 2021 were 836.5 million euros.

For more information, please visit almirall.com

[1] Zouboulis et al 2015 European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology  Zouboulis et al experimental dermatology 2020