NovusPharma

Novuspharma was an Italian biopharmaceutical company specializing in the development of novel oncology therapeutics. Spun off from Boehringer Mannheim in 1998, the company focused on creating improved versions of existing chemotherapy agents to reduce toxicity and enhance efficacy. Its lead product, Pixantrone, was designed as a DNA intercalator to treat non-Hodgkin lymphoma with reduced cardiotoxicity compared to traditional anthracyclines. The company also developed BBR 3464, a trinuclear platinum complex aimed at treating cisplatin-resistant tumors. Novuspharma was listed on the Italian Nuovo Mercato before being acquired by Cell Therapeutics (now CTI BioPharma) in 2003. This acquisition was a strategic move to combine Novuspharma's clinical pipeline with CTI's commercial infrastructure.