Midatech forms nano-drug firm PharMida

UK nanotechnology firm Midatech has formed a Basel, Switzerland-based drug development subsidiary, PharMida AG. Created with the help of a group of Swiss private investors, PharMida is seeking to develop a portfolio of clinically-validated gold nanoparticle-drug combinations.

The firm will have the responsibility to project manage in-house drug development, commercial partnerships and out-licensing opportunities in order to leverage the collection of existing Midatech products or product lines. The new entity will be headed by Fritz Buhler as chairman and Jan Mous as chief executive.

Most recently, Dr Mous was president and CEO of IntegraGen, and prior to that he held the position of chief scientific officer and was member of the executive board of LION bioscience, following 15 years with Swiss drug major Roche. Dr Buhler is professor of pharmaceutical medicine and pathophysiology as well as of internal medicine and cardiology at the faculty of medicine, Universities of Basel.