The Suit Magazine

An estimated 30 million people worldwide suffer from Alzheimer Disease, a life-threatening degenerative disease that erodes cognitive function, steals memories, and leads to dementia. For decades there has been nothing the medical community could do to stop the devastation Alzheimer wreaks on both patients and families. Thanks to biotech pioneers like Francesco Bellini, chairman of Bellus Health (formerly Neurochem) and co-founder of BioChem Pharma Inc., treatments are being developed to combat this growing disease—and several others.

The Italian-born Bellini has made it his life's work to find new ways of battling medical conditions that have gone widely untreated. By partnering his love of science with visionary investment strategies, Bellini has been successful in bringing revolutionary pharmaceuticals from conception to commercial production for pandemics including Alzheimer, AA Amyloidosis and HIV/AIDS.

Before selling BioChem Pharma in 2001, Bellini helped drive the fledgling biotechnology firm to become a global leader through the development of the anti-HIV/AIDS drug, 3TC, a cornerstone compound in the anti-HIV "cocktail" that continues giving millions of HIV patients new hope for a better future; and by investing in Neurochem, a company involved in a ground-breaking drug for treating Alzheimer.

Bellini made the decision to sell the Canadian-based biotech giant he helped create for $5.9 billion when he decided the company had gotten so large it was distracting him from his initial reason for starting it: a love of science.
Bellini knows firsthand how important funding is for sustaining research and getting products to market. Securing funding is crucial to biotech but increasingly difficult to achieve. "Back in my BioChem days," Bellini explains, "investors stayed with you, even if you failed at the beginning. Today, if you fail you're gone, and you have to go back to the market."

Despite his success with BioChem, Bellini reports that he didn't know enough about how to finance drug development early on. That lesson cost him a substantial percentage of royalties for 3TC, but it also motivated him to bolster his scientific background with an entrepreneurial acumen. Eventually merging these two skill sets, Bellini invested in Bellus Health (formally Neurochem) to help new products get from the pre-clinical phase to global commercial distribution. "When new studies need capital for a large sample Phase II, Bellus invests in that product," Bellini says.

Bellus has led the development of two major products, KIACTA and VIVIMIND, and is currently developing a new generation of Tramiprosate—NRM8499—for the treatment of Alzheimer disease. NRM8499 successfully completed Phase I clinical trials earlier this year and Bellus is now seeking strategic partnerships prior to pursuing clinical development further.

KIACTA helps AA Amyloidosis patients by staving off the progression of renal dysfunction that is often fatal in these cases. Through a strategic partnership with Celtic Therapeutics, KIACTA is now in the final stage of development and commercial distribution rights will be auctioned upon the successful completion of phase 3 clinical testing.
VIVIMIND was in development for fifteen years and is a one-of-a-kind patented nutraceutical that has been proven to protect memory and brain structure. The compound is an amino acid-based product that has properties similar to those found in seaweed. Tested extensively in the United States and Canada, VIVIMIND is now being distributed through commercial partnerships in Italy, Canada and in parts of the Middle East.

Along with his work at Bellus, Bellini is also on the Board of Directors for Molson Coors Brewing Company in Colorado, and is active with the Montreal Heart Institute Foundation and the Italian Chamber of Commerce.

"I have another company specializing in cosmetic pharmaceuticals," Bellini adds. "We have four products in clinical trials for acne, gingivitis, wounds, and skin rejuvenation. They're all working, but we still have to prove it statistically."   

Bellini is also the chairman of Picchio International, the family’s holding company, and the chairman of FB Health, a company based in Italy and specializing in nutraceuticals.
With such an ambitious and impressive career contributing to the advancement of modern medicine, the extensive list of honors he has received is fitting. These include multiple honorary doctoral degrees, along with Italy's highest government-bestowed honor, the title of Cavaliere del Lavoro.

In 2002, Bellini demonstrated his true passion for biomedical research by becoming the leading benefactor of McGill University's ambitious $53 million state-of-the-art life sciences building, now named The Francesco Bellini Life Sciences Building in appreciation of his generous $10 million contribution. Bellini's hope is that provided the opportunity, students and researchers at McGill will be able to find breakthroughs for treating serious diseases like cancer and diabetes that have remained elusive to scientists.

Bellini's ties to McGill date back to the beginning of his career. He had a chance meeting with a McGill chemistry professor, the late Dr. Bernard Belleau, which sparked a four-hour conversation about biopharmaceuticals and caused Bellini to get a parking ticket—a ticket he laughingly recalls as one of the luckiest things that has ever happened to him. From a conversation that kept him enthralled long enough to neglect the parking meter, a lifelong friendship was forged, along with the partnership that started BioChem Pharma and led to the creation of life-saving pharmaceuticals.

www.biochemgroup.com

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