{{Short description|Danish pharmaceutical company}} {{Infobox company | name = ALK-Abelló A/S | logo = ALK-Abelló logo.svg | type = Aktieselskab | traded_as = {{OMX|CSE32679|ALK B}} | industry = Pharmaceuticals | founded = 1923 Copenhagen<ref name="History, ALK website">{{cite web|url=http://www.alk-abello.com/aboutalk/history/Pages/ContVariant.aspx|title=History, ALK website|accessdate=2013-06-27}}</ref> | founder = Kaj Hedemann Baagøe Peter Barfod | location = Hørsholm, Denmark | key_people = Anders Hedegaard <small>(Chairman)</small><br>Peter Halling <small>(CEO)</small> | area_served = | products = Acarizax, Grazax, SlitOneUltra, Alutard SQ, Jext | services = | revenue = {{profit}} DKK 4.824 billion (2023) | operating_income = | net_income = | num_employees = 2,900 (2023) | parent = | subsidiaries = | website = [http://www.alk.net www.alk.net] | footnotes = }} '''ALK-Abelló A/S''' ({{OMX|CSE32679|ALK B}}), also commonly known as ALK, is a Denmark-based pharmaceutical company which specializes in the development and manufacturing of allergy immunotherapy (AIT) products for the prevention and treatment of allergy. It is one of the world's largest makers of allergy immunotherapy products (also known as ‘allergy vaccines’)<ref name="Stallergenes Annual Report 2012">{{cite web|url=http://content.zone-secure.net/stallergenes/rapportannuel/|title=Stallergenes Annual Report 2012|accessdate=2013-06-17|archive-date=2016-03-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303221513/http://content.zone-secure.net/stallergenes/rapportannuel/|url-status=dead}}</ref> with 67% of its revenue coming from sales in Europe.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Annual report 2023 |url=https://ir.alk.net/news-releases/news-release-details/annual-report-2023-alk-delivers-9-sales-growth-profits-50 |access-date=2024-02-08}}</ref>
==History== ALK-Abello dates back to 1923,<ref name="History, ALK website"/> when Denmark's first allergen extracts were produced at the pharmacy of the Copenhagen University Hospital.<ref name="Jacobsen K. From Goose Feathers to Grazax- The History of ALK">{{cite web|url=http://issuu.com/alkabello/docs/alk_history_book/1?e=0|title=Jacobsen K. "From Goose Feathers to Grazax- The History of ALK"|accessdate=2014-02-20}}</ref> The company was subsequently established as '''A'''llergologisk '''L'''aboratorium '''K'''øbenhavn. The company has since focused on mapping the mechanisms of allergic impact on the immune system in order to develop new and improved allergy therapies. The research focuses on prevention, treatment, and management of allergies, especially hay fever and asthma. In 1925, Juan Abello Pascual founded Abello Pharmaceuticals in Spain.
In 1978, ALK released the first standardized line of products for the treatment of allergies. In 1992, ALK and Abello merged. In the 1990s, ALK was the first company to launch sublingual immunotherapy drops (allergy immunotherapy administered as droplets under the tongue). In recent years, ALK's research and development strategy has been focused on introducing a range of sublingual immunotherapy tablets (SLIT-tablets). The first, for grass pollen allergy, was launched in 2006, and was followed by SLIT-tablets for ragweed pollen allergy in 2014, and house dust mite allergy in 2016. The company is part-owned by the Lundbeck Foundation, however is also a publicly traded entity.
==Corporate information== ALK's stock is listed on the NASDAQ OMX Copenhagen Stock Exchange.
As of November 1, 2023, the current members of ALK's board of directors are:<ref>{{Cite web |title=Board of Directors, alk.net |url=https://ir.alk.net/corporate-governance/board-of-directors |access-date=2023-08-15}}</ref><br> Anders Hedegaard (Chairperson of the board, Chairperson of the Remuneration & Nomination Committee, Member of the Scientific Committee, Professional board member)
Lene Skole (Vice Chair, Member of the Remuneration & Nomination Committee, Member of the Scientific Committee, CEO Lundbeckfonden and directorships at two other subsidiaries)
Gitte Aabo (Chairperson of the Audit Committee, CEO of GN Hearing and GN Store Nord)
Lars Holmqvist (Member of the Audit Committee, Professional board member)
Jesper Høiland (Member of the Audit Committee, Strategic adviser, PharmaCo Consult ApS)
Bertil Lindmark (Chairperson of the Scientific Committee, Chief Medical Officer of Galecto A/S)
Alan Main (Member of the Remuneration & Nomination Committee, Senior adviser, Bamboo Capital Partners)
Katja Barnkob
Nanna Carlson
Lise Lund Mærkedahl
Johan Smedsrud
As of November 1, 2023, the members of ALK's board of management are:<ref>{{Cite web |title=Board of Management, alk.net |url=https://ir.alk.net/corporate-governance/management |access-date=2023-08-15}}</ref><br> Peter Halling (President and Chief Executive Officer)
Henriette Mersebach (Executive Vice President, Research and Development)
Søren Niegel (Executive Vice President, Commercial Operations)
Claus Steensen Sølje (Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President)
Christian Gauguin Houghton (Executive Vice President, Product Supply)
Lisbeth Kirk (Senior Vice President, People & Organisation)
Jan Engel Jensen (Senior Vice President, Global Quality Assurance)
==Operations== ALK employs 2,900 people worldwide.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Annual report 2023 |url=https://ir.alk.net/news-releases/news-release-details/annual-report-2023-alk-delivers-9-sales-growth-profits-50 |access-date=2023-02-08 |website=}}</ref> The company's global headquarters and its main research and development center are on the Scion DTU science and technology park in Hørsholm, Denmark, in the Capital Region of Denmark.
The company is present in 46 countries, either directly or via partnerships.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Global presence {{!}} ALK |url=https://www.alk.net/our-company/global-presence |access-date=2023-02-08 |website=www.alk.net}}</ref>
Other ALK facilities include: *European production facilities in Hørsholm, Denmark, in Vanduille and Varennes, France, and in Madrid, Spain. *North American production facilities in Port Washington, New York, in Post Falls, Idaho, in Luther, Iowa, and in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
==Products== Allergy immunotherapy products account for 88% of ALK's revenues<ref name=":0" /> and comprise three types of product:
* Sublingual immunotherapy tablets (SLIT-tablets) covering grass pollen, ragweed pollen and house dust mite allergies. * Sublingual immunotherapy drops (SLIT-drops). A droplet-based allergy vaccine marketed under various brand names and covering approximately 40 different allergens and combinations of allergens, including pollens, molds, mites and pets.<ref name="Sublingual vaccines, ALK website">{{cite web|url=http://www.alk-abello.com/products/allergyvaccines/sublingualvaccines/Pages/ContVariant.aspx|title=Sublingual vaccines, ALK website|accessdate=2013-06-27}}</ref> * Subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT). An injection-based allergy vaccine marketed under various brand names and covering the most common allergens such as pollens, molds, mites, pets, bees and wasps.<ref name="Subcutaneous vaccines, ALK website">{{cite web|url=http://www.alk-abello.com/products/allergyvaccines/subcutaneousvaccines/Pages/ContVariant.aspx|title=Subcutaneous vaccines, ALK website|accessdate=2013-06-27}}</ref>
The aforementioned allergy immunotherapy products are purified from natural allergen sources then combined with excipients during formulation.<ref>{{cite web|title=Raw Materials|url=http://www.alk-abello.com/products/Pages/SectionFront.aspx|accessdate=1 May 2014}}</ref>
Other ALK products include an emergency adrenaline autoinjector for people who experience anaphylaxis,<ref name="Allergy emergency treatment, ALK website">{{cite web|url=http://www.alk-abello.com/products/emergencytreatment/Pages/ContVariant.aspx|title=Allergy emergency treatment, ALK website|accessdate=2013-06-27}}</ref> allergy diagnostic kits, for example, skin prick tests, and bulk allergen extracts, mostly sold in the US to allergy specialists for use in their practices.<ref name="Allergy diagnostics, ALK website">{{cite web|url=http://www.alk-abello.com/products/Allergydiagnostics/Pages/ContVariant.aspx|title=Allergy diagnostics, ALK website|accessdate=2013-06-27}}</ref>
==Partnerships and collaborations== From 2006 until 2016, ALK had a strategic alliance with Merck & Co to develop and commercialize ALK's SLIT-tablet products in the United States, Canada and Mexico, granting Merck exclusive rights to develop, market and distribute the tablets for grass pollen allergy, house dust mite allergy and ragweed allergy in those markets.<ref name="Partnerships, ALK website">{{cite web|url=http://www.alk-abello.com/aboutalk/structure/partnerships/Pages/home.aspx|title=Partnerships, ALK website|accessdate=2013-06-27}}</ref><ref name="Worldwide Alliances, Merck & Co website">{{cite web|url=http://www.merck.com/licensing/our-partnership/worldwide-alliances.html|title=Worldwide Alliances, Merck & Co website|accessdate=2013-06-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150707143530/http://www.merck.com/licensing/our-partnership/worldwide-alliances.html|archive-date=2015-07-07|url-status=dead}}</ref> In June 2016, ALK and Merck & Co announced that the partnership would end by the end of 2016.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-08-17 |title=All rights to ALK's SLIT-tablets in North America to revert to ALK from MSD (OMX:ALKB) |url=http://ir.alk-abello.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=981222 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817133724/http://ir.alk-abello.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=981222 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2016-08-17 |access-date=2023-03-01 }}</ref>
The company also has an alliance with Torii Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd to develop and commercialize ALK's house dust mite allergy immunotherapy products in Japan. The agreement covers the house dust mite SLIT-tablet, an injection-based immunotherapy product, and diagnostic products for house dust mite allergy. In addition, it established a research and development collaboration to develop a SLIT-tablet product for Japanese cedar pollen allergy.<ref name="Partnerships, ALK website"/><ref name="Torii media release (28 January 2011)">{{cite web|url=http://www.torii.co.jp/en/ir/releases/20110128.html|title=Torii media release (28 January 2011)|accessdate=2014-02-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140223100506/http://www.torii.co.jp/en/ir/releases/20110128.html|archive-date=2014-02-23|url-status=dead}}</ref>
In China, ALK had a collaboration with Eddingpharm which covered ALK's diagnostic skin prick test for house dust mite allergy, and a subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) product, also for house dust mite allergy. Under the agreement, Eddingpharm handled sales and distribution, while ALK provided medical and scientific expertise. Announced in April 2014, the collaboration was to run for an initial seven years, provided certain performance targets were met.<ref name="ALK media release (25 April 2014)">{{cite web|url=https://newsclient.omxgroup.com/cdsPublic/viewDisclosure.action?disclosureId=605816&messageId=750382|title=ALK media release (25 April 2014)|accessdate=2014-06-12}}</ref> However, the agreement was terminated by ALK in 2016, in favor of a collaboration with a new distributor.<ref name="ALK Annual Report 2016">{{cite web|url=http://ir.alk.net/common/download/download.cfm?companyid=ALKB&fileid=925973&filekey=29F4B056-E5D3-4FC1-93CB-549D46D7ECF7&filename=Annual_Report_2016.pdf|title=ALK Annual Report 2016|accessdate=2017-05-30}}{{Dead link|date=September 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
ALK also has had a collaboration with Abbott covering Russia and selected emerging markets, under which Abbott gained rights to distribute and commercialize ALK's SLIT-tablets for grass, ragweed, tree and house dust mite allergies.<ref name="ALK R&D and business briefing, slide 59 (21 May 2014)">{{cite web|url=http://ir.alk-abello.com/common/download/download.cfm?companyid=ALKB&fileid=756800&filekey=9ff11fdd-975b-4ab6-ad5f-d46cea127c12&filename=RD_and_BusinessBrief_Part2.pdf|title=ALK R&D and business briefing, slide 59 (21 May 2014)|accessdate=2014-06-12}}{{Dead link|date=May 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The agreement with Abbott was expanded in 2016, and allowed Abbott until the end of the collaboration in 2017 to register and sell ALK's house dust mite SLIT-tablet in seven markets in South-East Asia: Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand.<ref name="ALK media release (28 January 2016)">{{cite web|url=https://newsclient.omxgroup.com/cdsPublic/viewDisclosure.action?disclosureId=692909&lang=en|title=ALK media release (28 January 2016)|accessdate=2017-05-30}}</ref>
ALK also signed a collaboration with bioCSL (now name Seqirus) covering Australia and New Zealand which grants it exclusive rights to promote and sell ALK's SLIT-tablets against house dust mite and grass pollen allergy and its adrenaline auto-injector.<ref name="ALK media release (09 February 2015)">{{cite web|url=https://newsclient.omxgroup.com/cdsPublic/viewDisclosure.action?disclosureId=643828&messageId=799967|title=ALK media release (09 February 2015)|accessdate=2015-02-23}}</ref>
==Sponsorships== ALK is one of the founder sponsors of the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI).<ref name="Organization, EAACI website">{{cite web|url=http://www.eaaci.org/organization/founder-sponsors.html|title=Organization, EAACI website|accessdate=2014-02-20}}</ref> It also sponsors and organizes an invitation-only biennial scientific symposium, the Symposium on Specific Allergy (SOSA).<ref name="Congresses, ALK website">{{cite web|url=http://www.alk-abello.com/research/congresses/Pages/Congresses.aspx|title=Congresses, ALK website|accessdate=2013-06-27}}</ref> Since 2000, the company has sponsored the WAO Henning Løwenstein Research Award<ref name="Research award, ALK website">{{cite web|url=http://www.alk-abello.com/research/rdatalk/researchaward/Pages/home.aspx|title=Research award, ALK website|accessdate=2014-02-20}}</ref> which is awarded to a young scientist who has shown excellence within the field of allergy.<ref name="Former recipients, ALK website">{{cite web|url=http://www.alk-abello.com/research/rdatalk/researchaward/Pages/Formerrecipients.aspx|title=Former recipients, ALK website|accessdate=2014-02-20}}</ref> Since 2005, the award has been made every two years. The 2013 winner, received €10,000 (or an educational grant of corresponding value) and a travel grant to attend the 2013 European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI)/World Allergy Organization (WAO) Congress in Milan, Italy.
==Timeline== 1923: Doctor Kaj Baagøe and pharmacist Peter Barfod produce Denmark's first pharmaceutically manufactured allergen extract at Copenhagen University Hospital (Rigshospitalet)<ref name="History, ALK website"/><br> 1949: Production of allergy vaccines and diagnostics is centered at an independent unit called Allergologisk Laboratorium (Allergology Laboratory)<ref name="History, ALK website"/><br> 1972: The technique to accurately identify the proteins that provoke allergies in individual patients is developed<ref name="History, ALK website"/><br> 1976: The first standardized process for allergen extracts (DAS 76) is developed<ref name="History, ALK website"/><br> 1978: The world's first standardized allergy immunotherapy product is launched<ref name="History, ALK website"/><br> 1984: ALK begins a period of global expansion by establishing a presence in several new markets and through strategic acquisitions<ref name="History, ALK website"/><br> 1990: The world's first product for sublingual immunotherapy drops (SLIT-drops) (droplets administered under the tongue) is launched<ref name="History, ALK website"/><br> 1990: The PAT (Preventative Allergy Treatment) study is initiated in collaboration with leading European allergy specialists. The study finds that allergy immunotherapy decreases the risk of the development of asthma in children with allergic rhinitis<ref name="History, ALK website"/><br> 1992: ALK acquires Alergia e Immunologia Abello S.A. (Abello), a Spanish company based in Madrid (with additional locations in Italy and Germany), its largest competitor at the time. Abello Pharmaceuticals was founded in 1925 by pharmacist Juan Abello Pascual and specialized in manufacturing oxygen- and alkaline-based therapeutics as well as synthetic hormones, among other processes and products.<br> 2000: Acquires Center Laboratories, one of the leading suppliers of allergenic extracts in the U.S. <br> 2006: The world's first registered sublingual immunotherapy tablet (SLIT-tablet), for grass pollen allergy, is launched<ref name="History, ALK website"/><br> 2007: An agreement is signed with Schering-Plough (which merged with Merck & Co. in November 2009) to develop, register and commercialize in North America a portfolio of SLIT-tablet treatments for grass, ragweed and house dust mite allergy<ref name="History, ALK website"/><br> 2009: The Grazax Asthma Prevention (GAP) trial, investigating the potential for preventing the development of asthma in children and adolescents is initiated.<ref name="ALK media release (16 November 2009)">{{cite web|url=https://newsclient.omxgroup.com/cdsPublic/viewDisclosure.action?disclosureId=373468&messageId=446506|title=ALK media release (16 November 2009)|accessdate=2014-02-20|archive-date=2016-03-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304114451/https://newsclient.omxgroup.com/cdsPublic/viewDisclosure.action?disclosureId=373468&messageId=446506|url-status=dead}}</ref><br> 2011: A new ALK-developed adrenaline auto-injector for the treatment of acute anaphylaxis is launched<ref name="ALK media release (06 September 2011)">{{cite web|url=https://newsclient.omxgroup.com/cdsPublic/viewDisclosure.action?disclosureId=468888&messageId=571948|title=ALK media release (06 September 2011)|accessdate=2014-04-08}}</ref><br> 2011: An agreement with Torii Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. to develop, register and commercialize a number of SLIT-tablet products in Japan is signed. The agreement also covers selected existing ALK products and diagnostics against house dust mite allergy. It also covers a research and development contract to develop a sublingual immunotherapy tablet against Japanese cedar pollen allergy.<ref name="History, ALK website"/><br> 2014: The grass and ragweed SLIT-tablets are launched in the US.<ref name="Merck Media release (14 April 2014)">{{cite web|url=http://www.mrknewsroom.com/news-release/corporate-news/fda-approves-mercks-grastek-timothy-grass-pollen-allergen-extract-sublin|title=Merck Media release (14 April 2014)|accessdate=2017-05-30}}</ref><ref name="Merck Media release (17 April 2014)">{{cite web|url=http://www.mrknewsroom.com/news-release/prescription-medicine-news/fda-approves-mercks-ragwitek-short-ragweed-pollen-allergen-e|title=Merck Media release (17 April 2014)|accessdate=2017-05-30}}</ref><br> 2014: ALK signs collaboration agreements with Eddingpharm for China and Abbott for Russia and selected emerging markets.<ref name="ALK media release (25 April 2014)"/><ref name="ALK R&D and business briefing, slide 59 (21 May 2014)"/><br> 2015: ALK signs a collaboration agreement with bioCSL (now Seqirus) covering Australia and New Zealand.<ref name="ALK media release (09 February 2015)"/><br> 2016: ALK expands its partnership with Abbott to cover seven markets in South-East Asia <ref name="ALK media release (28 January 2016)"/> and terminates its partnerships with Merck and EddingPharm.<ref name="ALK Annual Report 2016"/><br> 2016: The house dust mite SLIT-tablet is launched in Europe and Japan.<ref name="ALK media release (27 January 2016)">{{cite web|url=https://newsclient.omxgroup.com/cdsPublic/viewDisclosure.action?disclosureId=693948&lang=en|title=ALK media release (27 January 2016)|accessdate=2017-06-20}}</ref><ref name="ALK media release (28 September 2015)">{{cite web|url=https://newsclient.omxgroup.com/cdsPublic/viewDisclosure.action?disclosureId=675295&lang=en|title=ALK media release (28 Sep 2015)|accessdate=2017-06-20}}</ref>
2017: Inclusion in GINA. For the first time, allergy immunotherapy is recommended as a treatment option in the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) strategy document.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=History {{!}} ALK |url=https://www.alk.net/our-company/history |access-date=2023-08-15 |website=www.alk.net}}</ref>
2017: New transformational growth strategy. ALK launches a new strategy to reach out to more people with allergy to become a broader-based allergy company.<ref name=":1" />
2018: Launch of sister brand. Launch of ALK's sister brand klarify.me - offering a broad range of pre-screened products and services to help people manage their allergies.<ref name=":1" />
2021: Entering food allergies. ALK announces an entry into food allergy treatment and begins developing a tablet for peanut allergies.
2023: ALK turns 100 years. ALK has been a pioneer in fighting allergies for 100 years.<ref name=":1" />
==Research and development== Since launching the first SLIT-tablet (for grass allergy) in 2006, ALK has been developing tablets for other allergies, including tree, ragweed and house dust mite. Its strategy is to develop more patient-friendly treatments based on the approach of 're-educating' the immune system.
==Notes and references== {{Reflist|2}}
==External links== * {{official website|http://www.alk.net}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:ALK-Abello}} Category:Companies listed on Nasdaq Copenhagen Category:Pharmaceutical companies of Denmark Category:Biotechnology companies of Denmark Category:Life science companies based in Copenhagen Category:Pharmaceutical companies established in 1923 Category:Danish companies established in 1923 Category:Companies based in Rudersdal Municipality