Invention: Mildronate heart medication and others
As 15th-century alchemist Paracelsus once said: “The art of healing comes from nature, not from the physician. Therefore the physician must start with nature and an open mind.” Accordingly, the Latvian scientist and inventor Ivars Kalvins has dedicated his research career to the improvement of medicine through chemicals found in nature.
As the Head of the Department of Medicinal Chemistry at the Latvian Institute of Organic Synthesis in Riga, Kalvins spearheaded the development of a new generation of drug compounds, based on biochemistry.
During his 45-year career at the institute, Kalvins headed the development of commercially available drugs including: the anticancer drug Belinostat, the neuroprotectant Neramexane, the anti-inflammatory compound OX-MPI, and cardioprotector Mildronate. Patented inventions from Kalvins’ laboratory have been licensed and made available to patients by international pharmaceutical companies including Prolifix Ltd, Biolipox, Merz Pharma GmbH, and Grindeks.
Societal benefit
The targeted use of natural compounds – as opposed to artificially created chemicals – is the foundation of Kalvins’ approach. He successfully brought to market drugs based on natural compounds to treat and prevent strokes, tinnitus, heart attacks, Alzheimer disease, as well as chronic pain and inflammation.
Kalvins’ inventions have proven especially beneficial for the prevention and treatment of ischemic heart disease and stroke, currently the world’s topmost causes of death with 7.4 million and 6.7 million victims in 2012, respectively, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Economic benefit
Kalvins’ biggest success story to date is meldonium, medicinal name Mildronate, an efficient drug against heart disease. Manufactured and marketed by Latvian pharmaceuticals company Grindeks, Mildronate ranks among Latvia’s most successful medical exports: it generated an export turnover of around €60–70 million in 2013, with a share of 0.6% to 0.7% of all Latvian exports.
Founded in 1991, publicly listed company Grindeks now employs around 1000 people and in 2013 reported revenues of €118.5 million – the lion’s share from sales of Mildronate. Other breakthroughs include the anti-cancer drug Belinostat, approved by the FDA in 2014 and licensed by US pharmaceutical company Spectrum. Kalvins also developed the neuroprotectant Neramexane licensed by Merz Pharmaceuticals, currently undergoing phase III clinical trials for treatment of Alzheimer disease, and the anti-inflammatory OX-MPI, currently advanced into clinical practice by Orexo and Boehringer Ingelheim.
How it works:
One such natural compound identified by Kalvins is named meldonium. It helps to suppress the oxidation of fatty acids in the body’s energy metabolism, which is a major cause of toxic by-products that collect in the heart’s tissue – ultimately leading to heart attacks. By eliminating toxic side products and increasing oxygen supply to the cells, meldonium restores balance to the body’s energy metabolism.