Kontich, Belgium, 23 June 2023 Flen Health is proud to announce that it has been awarded a 1.7 million research and development grant by the Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship (VLAIO – for short) to leverage further its leading expertise in biological wound treatment research and development. The award represents the funding at approximately 60% of a 3.0 million project. Funding from the grant will serve to further accelerate the deployment of Flen Health’s unique Enzyme technology and research platform and will lead to a deeper understanding of recombinant engineering and the development of unique and novel biological enzyme-based treatments for non-healing and chronic wounds. Enabling cross-fertilizing the company’s growing pipeline of patented and breakthrough candidate drugs in wound and skin care. Gilles Brackman, Vice President of Research & Development of Flen Health, commented, “I am honoured by the recognition and financial support from VLAIO and pleased to contribute to their commitment to stimulate Biotechnological research and development in Flanders, Belgium. This grant allows us to further strengthen our enzyme-technology platform capabilities and represent an important accelerator in the further development of enzyme-based biopharmaceuticals for the treatment of chronic and difficult-to-heal wounds. This will position Flen Health as a true innovative wound and skincare company with multiple shots at goal.” “I am thrilled that VLAIO has recognized the breakthrough science that we undertake at Flen Health which endorses the quality level of our research projects,” said Philippe Sollie, CEO of Flen Health. “This grant is a support for our project to manufacture enzymes at a pharmaceutical quality level. Executing this project will do even more than that. With this project, we are creating at Flen Health a platform technology for the identification, GMP manufacturing and registration of therapeutic proteins that transform the lives of patients with wounds and skin diseases. We are well on track to further push our extraordinary goal and provide patients across the globe with our innovative transformative treatments that help these patients live the life they love” he concluded. Flen Health remains committed to its mission of advancing wound and skin healing through groundbreaking research, and this grant from VLAIO will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of the company's ongoing work. About Flen Health Flen Health is an international family enterprise with affiliates in Europe and the United States and strategic partnerships and distributor agreements worldwide. These allow Flen Health to develop and market medical devices and pharmaceutical products that meet its original mission of providing innovative skin and wound healing solutions to address unmet patient needs. In recent years, Flen Health was labelled as an EU innovative company and has secured millions of non-dilutive funding for R&D activities within its innovation centres and in collaboration with academic and institutional partners.
Flen Health specialising in advanced solutions for wound and skin healing was awarded a 2.3 million research, development, and innovation grant by the Ministry of the Economy of Luxembourg (MECO) Esch-sur-Alzette, 14th January 2022: Flen Health is proud to announce that it has been awarded a 2.3 million research, development, and innovation (RDI) grant, by the Ministry of the Economy of Luxembourg. This grant enables Flen Health to further leverage its leading expertise in wound and skincare research and development. It will also serve to further accelerate the deployment of its unique integrated technology and research platforms. More specifically, the activities conducted under the grant will lead to a deeper understanding of key drivers that contribute to the non-healing nature of chronic wounds. Thus, enabling cross-fertilizing the company’s growing pipeline of patented and breakthrough candidate drugs in wound and skin care. Gilles Brackman, Vice President of Research & Development of Flen Health, commented, “We are very pleased with the financial support and recognition from MECO and their commitment to stimulate research, development, and innovation in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. Since the foundation of our research centre in Luxembourg at the end of 2017, we have significantly invested in the build-up of our research and technology platforms to generate novel therapeutics against several targets in wound and skin care. The funding will allow us to progress in our research and further develop a differentiating, novel mode of action candidate medicines. This will position Flen Health as a true innovative wound and skincare company with multiple shots at goal.” Philippe Sollie, CEO of Flen Health, commented: “We are pleased that MECO has recognised the breakthrough science that will enable us to discover and develop therapeutic programs aiming to transform the lives of patients with chronic skin and wound care diseases. We are well-positioned to increasingly push our ambitious goal to develop potentially transformative treatments supporting patients to live the life they love.” Flen Health has been the recipient of a similar grant in the past. This grant has contributed to the pre-clinical research and development of new and innovative technologies, which are continuing the task of answering unmet needs for specific skin disorders. A patent application has been filed. About us Flen Health is an international family enterprise with affiliates in Europe, the US, and UAE as well as strategic partnerships and distributor agreements worldwide. These allow Flen Health to develop and market medical devices and pharmaceutical products that meet its original mission in providing innovative skin and wound healing solutions to address unmet patient needs. In recent years, Flen Health was labelled as an EU innovative company and has secured millions of non-dilutive funding for R&D activities both within its own innovation centres as well as in collaboration with academic and institutional partners. Learn more about Flen Health
Kontich, 31st August 2020: Flen Health has been awarded with the BioSense Solutions grant, which supports innovative research projects on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR). With this grant opportunity Flen Health will leverage its research and expertise on patented antimicrobial enzyme- and potentiator-based complexes. Antimicrobial resistance has the potential to affect people at any stage of life making it one of the world’s most urgent public health problems. Therefore, in one of its research projects, Flen Health actively investigates long-term medical solution for infected wounds or wounds at risk of infection, while limiting the risk of AMR-development during treatment. The BioSense Solutions grant will allow Flen Health to access an advanced microscopic oCelloScope™ technology. “Access to this technology will enable us to accelerate the collection of antimicrobial susceptibility and growth kinetics data as well as promote the identification of morphology responses within our multidisciplinary research project”, explains Eveline Torfs, R&D Specialist at Flen Health. “From an healthcare perspective, these insights are extremely interesting, as they form a strong fundament for the development of effective advanced enzyme-based wound care products with a potential to overcome AMR.”, concludes Gilles Brackman, VP R&D at Flen Health. About Flen Health Flen Health is an international family enterprise with affiliates in Europe, US, and UAE as well as strategic partnerships and distributor agreements worldwide. These allow Flen Health to develop and market medical devices and pharmaceutical products that meet its original mission in providing innovative skin and wound healing solutions to address unmet patient needs. In the recent years, Flen Health was labelled as an EU innovative company and has secured millions of non-dilutive funding for R&D activities both within its own innovation centres as well as in collaboration with academic and institutional partners. Learn more about Flen Health
Esch-sur-Alzette, 30th July 2020: Together with the Minister of Economy, Franz Fayot, Flen Health’s CEO, Philippe Sollie and Flen Health’s VP R&D, Gilles Brackman reflected on how the BioHealth sector in Luxembourg has developed over the previous years and what role Flen Health has played and will play towards Luxembourg’s BioHealth. Since 2011 Flen Health’s headquarters have been located in Luxembourg. In 2017 the medical device and biotechnology company secured an important R&D fund provided by the Ministry of Economy of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and an additional loan supplied by the EFSI. Flen Health was able to grow its R&D work force and also able to work on several R&D projects that supported the development of innovative biotechnologies. “Flen Health is grateful for the financial aid it receives from government bodies and commits to use that aid responsibly to realise its mission. Our mission is clear and hasn`t changed since I founded the company in 2000. Flen Health develops innovation that helps people around the world, with infectious and inflammatory disorders, live the life they love”, says Philippe Sollie. In total Flen Health secured over €2.5 million non-dilutive funding over the past two & half years and has over €8 million non-dilutive funding pending this year, not only in Europe but also in the US. “With a new promising project, that we would like to realise in Luxembourg, aimed at integrative treatment development, we will significantly change how wounds are treated. These disruptive technologies are being developed in our in-house facilities as well as in collaboration with research centres in Europe and the USA. But our mission is not only to develop innovative technologies but also to support in building a more inclusive community, support social and economic growth”, explains Gilles Brackman. About Flen Health Flen Health believes biotech innovation can help to build a securer life for all of us. With its product portfolio, Flen Health aims to improve the quality of life of people suffering from inflammatory or infectious skin diseases in a responsible way by providing added value for patients, healthcare professionals and health authorities. Learn more about Flen Health
How Flamigel® helps the healthcare sector to keep hands healthy! Flen Health, a Belgian wound and skin care company known for Flamigel®, donates more than 300,000 EUR in the form of free of charge Flamigel® tubes to all healthcare professionals in Belgian and Luxembourgish hospitals. For Flen Health this is the time to show solidarity and to take action! Currently, we all wash our hands sufficiently to fight against the COVID-19 virus. Unfortunately, this increases the risk of dehydration and irritation of the hands because the natural layer of oil disappears. This counts for all of us, healthcare providers and doctors but also for workers in various sectors, parents, in short, everyone. Flamigel® helps to moisturise and to heal our hands. As a company, however, Flen Health wants to set a positive example! "People in the healthcare sector are working day and night to contain the impact of the coronavirus. Within our company we were looking for a way to help them, so we came up with the idea of distributing our product Flamigel® for free. Flamigel® has been developed for the treatment of superficial burns and abrasions, because it is very suitable for healing damaged skin. The hands of most people in the care sector are starting to get red, sore or damaged as a result of frequent hand washing. This makes further work and handwashing not only difficult, but also painful. The vulnerability increases but people want to keep on working. Pain in the hands, in addition to fatigue, reduces motivation," says Philippe Sollie, CEO Flen Health. "We all should stick together and help! I would therefore also like to call on my colleagues from the pharmaceutical sector to find a way to support the healthcare sector. After all, together we can contain this terrible virus. All over the world we now need each other's support", explains Philippe Sollie further. How does it work in practice? Any hospital in Belgium and Luxembourg can contact us by filling in the form and we will contact your hospital pharmacy. About Flamigel® Flamigel® is for all kinds of superficial wounds. It is an innovative gel that contributes to faster wound healing and reduces scar formation. The hydroactive-colloid gel works to the effective principle of moist wound healing. Flamigel® heals wounds up to 40 % faster, cools and soothes the skin and creates a protective skin layer. About Flen Health Flen Health believes biotech innovations can help to build a securer life for all of us. With its product portfolio Flen Health aims to improve the quality of life of people suffering from inflammatory or infectious skin and wound diseases in a responsible way, by providing added value for patients, healthcare professionals and health authorities. Starting in 2000 as a one-man Belgian operation, the company has grown to an international family enterprise with market-leading positions and over 100 motivated employees. Flen Health is represented by two headquarters with innovation centres in Belgium and Luxembourg. Further affiliates are located in the Netherlands, Germany, UK, US and UAE. This year the company celebrates its 20th anniversary. Note for the editor / not for publication: For further information please contact Kristine Vanlinthout via telephone +32 3 450 84 99 or via mail Kristine.Vanlinthout@flenhealth.com
"Being told that one has Cancer is not much fun, and when I was diagnosed nearly 18 months ago it was inevitably a shock. This was compounded by the certainty of an operation (double mastectomy), possibility of chemotherapy and almost certainty of Radiotherapy." The Chemo I escaped, the operation went well, but it was the anticipation of the Radiotherapy which, for me, presented the worst fears. It was not a fear of ‘nuclear medicine’, it was the side-effects: I was almost promised these...blistering, weeping skin, bright red and extremely itchy patches around the treated areas. The fact that these things would blow up AFTER the treatment was ended made it seem worse, treatment that in itself was fairly grim - having to lie unnaturally still for what seemed like ages: having one’s body heaved around to ‘position’ it and not being allowed to help - incredibly undignified. It was just before I started Radiotherapy, however, that I was introduced to someone who had travelled an identical path to mine, and she swore by Flamigel® RT, a cream that had been given to her by the hospital where she had undertaken her cancer treatment. It was prescription only, but when I asked Guy’s for one, they denied all knowledge of it, and continued to ‘sell’ E45. Eventually our GP, himself a ‘skin man’, agreed that Flamigel® was the route to take. About four days into my Radiotherapy I switched from E45 to Flamigel® RT. And I have not looked back... I have had NONE of the promised nasties, no weeping skin, no blistering effects like sunburn. Yes, three weeks after I finished treatment two angry red patches appeared around my collar bone but they only itch a tiny bit, easily soothed by a quick application of Flamigel®, and I expect them to go away soon. And the cream doesn’t smell, it leaves no stain on clothing and is very quickly absorbed. Most importantly, of course, it WORKS and I had none of the miseries that I had anticipated. Cancer is a horrible and frightening thing to have, but it makes a huge difference to have something which so effectively eases the many irritants which its treatment seem to generate. I sincerely hope that Flamigel® RT will soon be widely and easily available to ALL those unfortunate enough to have to undergo the rigours of Radiotherapy.” Speaking about terrifying memories takes a lot of courage and strength therefore we very much appreciate that Sarah told us her story. Thank you for your trust Sarah!
