ropren registration : herald sun 18:07

A SMALL Melbourne biotechnology company has achieved a major breakthrough after getting pharmaceutical registration in Russia.

Solagran will today announce that its drug Ropren can be prescribed for liver disease in Russia.

That means the drug should start to sell in Russia this year, with the next development steps being to seek approval in the rest of Europe and the United States.

Trials have shown Ropren and its active ingredient Bioeffective R is highly effective in treating chronic liver diseases including various forms of hepatitis and cirrhosis.

Further trials both in Russia and Melbourne have also shown Ropren could also be effective in normalising blood lipids such as cholesterol and in treating and preventing neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimers and Parkinson's disease.

Solagran shares have been in a trading halt since Monday pending today's announcement.

They have traded from a low of 17 in September last year to a high of $1.55 in May this year.

Solagran has already announced that it is dramatically ramping up European production of Ropren to cater for the estimated 10 million people with liver disease in Russia.

Unlike most drugs, the active ingredient in Ropren is a natural compound known as a polyprenol that is isolated from green conifer needles.

It was first developed in Russia by Professor Victor Roschinback in 1986.

Since Solagran listed in 2003, executive chairman Dr Vagif Soultanov and a Russian project team have successfully pushed to have the drug registered in Russia.

That registration process was shortened significantly because clinical trials showed Ropren to be effective without any of the usual side effects of liver disease drugs.

The Russian Ministry of Health was also keen to introduce a locally discovered drug to combat the high number of liver disease sufferers in the country.

Initially supply of Solagran will be restricted by production, so most treatment courses will be prescribed in Moscow and St Petersburg.

Capacity expansion should see supply grow to the rest of Russia over the next few years.

Given Ropren has pharmaceutical approval in Russia, it may also be used when indicated to treat situations other than its primary role in restoring liver function.

That could include novel applications such as helping to prevent neuronal cell death in the brain following heart attack or stroke and conditions associated with drug and alcohol addiction.