Company History

The company was established in 1990 by Professor Jan Raa and researchers in his team at the University of Tromsø, among them his previous student and former CEO of Biotec Pharmacon, Gunnar Rørstad.  

Biotec Pharmacon was initially a biotechnology company established as a result of innovative biochemistry research and new inventions on how to use certain marine cold-adapted enzymes as processing aids.

The knowledge in marine biochemistry has been developed and further refined as a unique expertise within the company, and today Biotec Pharmacon’s main emphasis within its original business area is to manufacture high purity natural or recombinant enzymes for the life science sector.

The founders of Biotec Pharamacon discovered in 1987 that disease resistance of Atlantic salmon was significantly enhanced by a special beta-1,3/1,6-glucan preparation designated MacroGard®. Later they showed that MacroGard® had the same effect on piglets and other livestock animals, and moreover caused a commercially significant improvement of growth performance and feed utilization. The discovery that MacroGard®  acts as an immune enhancing agent even when added to feeds was the foundation for a comprehensive research and development program on the extraction, purification, chemistry, mode of action, efficacy and safety of beta-1,3/1,6-glucans. Dr. Rolf E. Engstad was heavily involved in executing the development prgram. Dr. Engstad is now the present Chief Scientific Officer of the company.

This early research of Biotec Pharmacon was not keenly supported by research council grants, but was nevertheless sponsored by Phillips Petroleum Company as part of their biotechnology development program. The initial reluctant attitude among immunologists to studies of non-specific (innate) immune enhancement has during the last couple of years changed completely. Now as innate immunity is attracting more and more emphasis in scientific communities and its role as the evolutionary foundation of immunity in all animal groups is becoming generally recognized, the research priorities of Biotec Pharmacon are finally being rewarded. Hence, the company is very proud to be among the first few groups that have been spearheading research and technology development in the area of innate immunity and of the role of immune modulating beta-1,3/1,6-glucans in general disease prophylaxis.

The results of R&D on beta-1,3/1,6-glucans during the early years of this century have justified the company’s decision to develop pharmaceutical products for humans, and to gradually change the profile of the company in the pharmaceutical direction. In 2004 the company initiated a clinical development program. In November 2005 the company was listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange to facilitate its funding. In September 2008 the company sold out the aminal health division and the related IP which had been the primary activity through all the 90-ies, confirming the change in pharmaceutical direction.