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BIAL invests 330 thousand euros in solar energy

BIAL completed the installation of 1244 solar panels of 410W with an installed capacity of 510kWp, equivalent to supply an average of 200 homes for a year. The panels cover an area of ​​approximately 2500 m2 on the roof of the company's headquarters buildings. The pharmaceutical company invested 330 thousand euros in the installation of a solar photovoltaic system that will allow the annual production of approximately 746 741kWh and a reduction of 351 tons in CO2 emissions per year (approximately equivalent to the capture of CO2 by 2176 trees). José Redondo, General Manager of the Financial and Industrial Area, emphasizes that “this project reflects the company’s commitment, assumed several years ago, and the responsibility of BIAL to continue to innovate in the incorporation of sustainability in the management of the business and its operations, as well as the ambition to protect the environment and contribute to a more sustainable economy.” BIAL is one of the companies that joined, in 2019, the Letter of Commitment “Business Ambition for 1.5 ºC - Our Only Future”, launched by the United Nations Global Compact, that encourages companies, worldwide, to create concrete measures to fight against climate change, setting goals and objectives to reduce emissions of greenhouse gas effect, reaching zero net emissions by 2050 and limit global warming to 1.5 °C by 2030. In 2001, BIAL was the first pharmaceutical and healthcare company in Portugal to obtain the Environmental Management System Certification.

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International Epilepsy Day

The 8th of February marks the International Epilepsy Day, a day of enormous relevance for the community of patients and their families, who daily live with this pathology. Currently, epilepsy affects more than 50 million people worldwide making it a high incidence condition. More than 10 years ago, BIAL began a journey in this therapeutic area, providing an innovative solution resulting from an important research and development effort, thus taking the first step in the commitment to epilepsy. On this date, we want to reinforce our commitment and take a big step in raising awareness of this condition. One Big Step for Epilepsy is the motto of a campaign that includes a set of communications on digital and corporate channels and a page that will mirror several relevant facts for people living with epilepsy, their families and the general public: www.onebigstepforepilepsy.com. Not only does BIAL want to take this huge step towards epilepsy, but it calls for everyone to join in this action and help to demystify and promote global awareness of epilepsy. How? Symbolically joining your steps to ours. Just add all your steps on this day, counted through your mobile phones, fitness bands or smartwatches, and insert them on the page www.onebigstepforepilepsy.com. Each step is a contribution. Our contribution for Epilepsy.

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Horta-Osório replaces Luís Portela as Chairman of BIAL

Porto, 22nd January 2021 - António Horta-Osório will be the new Chairman of the pharmaceutical company BIAL from April onwards, after leaving the position of Executive President of Lloyds bank. He will replace Luís Portela, the main shareholder of the company and its president for the past 42 years. António Portela will continue to lead BIAL’s Executive Committee.

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BIAL obtains the renewal of the Certificates of its Management Systems of Quality, Environment and Occupational Health and Safety

Certificates of Management Systems of Quality, Environment and Occupational Health and Safety, implemented in accordance with ISO 9001 / ISO 14001 / ISO 45001 standards, respectively

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BIAL Goes Global with New US Research Center and Acquisition of Promising Parkinson's Disease Programs

BIAL Biotech to be based in Cambridge, Massachusetts and will be a Research Center of Excellence dedicated to genetically-defined Parkinson’s disease LTI-291 clinical program and other research programs in Parkinson's disease acquired from Lysosomal Therapeutics, Inc R&D team led by Peter Lansbury, professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School Investment may add up to 130 million dollars depending on the accomplishment of downstream development, and several regulatory and commercial milestones

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Opicapone approved in Japan

BIAL announced today that Opicapone tablets 25 mg received a manufacturing and marketing approval in Japan for the improvement of the end-of-dose motor fluctuations (wearing-off phenomenon) in Parkinson's disease in combination with levodopa-carbidopa or levodopa–benserazide hydrochloride.

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FDA approves Opicapone

BIAL announced today that the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Opicapone as an add-on treatment to levodopa/carbidopa in patients with Parkinson’s disease experiencing “off” episodes. “We are very pleased to achieve this major regulatory milestone for Opicapone, which offers patients living with Parkinson´s disease an effective, once-daily adjunctive treatment option to the gold standard levodopa/dopa-decarboxylase inhibitors preparations. This approval is a landmark in BIAL’s ongoing commitment to the quality of life of Parkinson’s patients and their caregivers. We look forward to working with our partner in the U.S., Neurocrine Biosciences, to make this therapy available to patients.” said António Portela, CEO of BIAL. In February 2017, BIAL and Neurocrine Biosciences entered into an exclusive licensing agreement for the development and commercialization of Opicapone in the U.S. and Canada. The commercial launch of Opicapone in the U.S.is expected to occur later in 2020. The FDA approval of Opicapone is supported by data from 38 clinical studies, including two multinational Phase III clinical studies (BIPARK-1 and BIPARK-2). In BIPARK-1, a randomized, double-blind placebo- and active-controlled study, approximately 600 patients with Parkinson’s disease and end-of-dose motor fluctuations received once-daily doses of Opicapone (5 mg, 25 mg, or 50 mg), placebo or 200 mg of the COMT (catechol-O-methyltransferase) inhibitor entacapone for 14 to 15 weeks as adjunct to levodopa therapy. In BIPARK-2, which followed a similar study design, approximately 400 patients received once-daily doses of Opicapone (25 mg or 50 mg) or placebo

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BIAL launches new campaign ‘Don’t let Parkinson’s stop you. Keep on moving’

Awareness raising film shows disease doesn’t define or confine people with Parkinson’s PORTO, Portugal, 6 April 2020 - BIAL Pharmaceuticals has created a new film for World Parkinson’s Day 2020 to dispel the stigma around Parkinson’s and show the amazing achievements, breadth and diversity of people living with the condition. The film, “Keep on moving”, is the latest part of a worldwide campaign, launched by BIAL four years ago. The campaign aims to increase awareness and knowledge of Parkinson's Disease and to inspire and empower millions of people living with Parkinson’s around the world.

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Bial creates COVID-19 fund to help community

BIAL has just announced the creation of a fund, with an allocation of 500 thousand Euros, to support several community initiatives in the fight against the coronavirus. "BIAL, as a pharmaceutical company, in addition to ensuring the total maintenance of its activity, which is critical for millions of patients, also intended to make its contribution to the community by creating a fund that we endowed with half a million euros.", said António Portela, CEO of the company. “Unfortunately, we are experiencing a crisis of Public Health worldwide, where the collaboration between all stakeholders - States, governments, universities, companies and society in general - is crucial. With this action, BIAL aims to respond to different needs, some of which have already reached us, from health professionals and institutions, from welfare institutions or within the scope of programs and projects addressed to provide better provision care.”, adds António Portela. Ensuring the supply of medicines in the markets where the company operates is critical for BIAL, which currently does not anticipate constraints in terms of the continuous supply of its medicines. With most employees on home office, people from the Industrial, Quality and Logistics areas continue to work at the company's headquarters, that have extended the production period to reinforce the stocks of their medicines. Having health and safety of its employees and the continuity of the company's operations as priorities, BIAL has defined and has been updating, since the beginning of March, a Contingency Plan focused on the prevention and control of the new coronavirus. Among the measures adopted, BIAL proactively suspended all direct interactions of its employees with Pharmacies, Doctors and other Health Professionals. All visits to the company's headquarters were also cancelled, except for the ones related with the supply of products and materials essential to the maintenance of its activity, as well as the dispatch of medicines. At the same time, a series of measures were reinforced to ensure the safety of employees who remain working, namely in terms of hygiene and social distance. BIAL is constantly monitoring the authorities' guidelines to act accordingly, to update - if necessary - the Contingency Plan that is underway and to ensure that its medicines continue to reach all patients in need.

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