Grifols has been awarded a contract with the Ministry of Health for the supply of blood products for therapeutic use from the industrial fractionation of human plasma for an estimated value of more than 281 million euros.
According to what appears on the State contracting portal and includes Europa Pressthe company has defeated Octopharma, which also moved on to the last phase of the ‘megacontract’, with a final score of 73.25 points compared to the 18.88 points obtained by its rival.
“The Contracting Committee proposes an award proposal in favor of the company Instituto Grifols for the amounts indicated below, since its offer meets the requirements set out in the specifications that govern this contract, and has obtained the maximum score once the criteria of award (…)”, the document states.
In this context, Grifols has been required to present the documentation required in the clause within ten business days. The agreement to initiate the file and the composition of the contracting table were made public last September, while the last contract document, with its corresponding annex, was published this Monday, January 13.
Michael J. Fox Foundation Grant
On the other hand, Grifols announced today that it has received a grant from the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Disease Research (MJFF) to identify plasma-based biomarkers that could indicate the likelihood of a person developing Parkinson’s disease (PD) many years before their clinical diagnosis. The initiative, called “Chronos-PD” in English, could accelerate the discovery of new diagnostic tools, as well as the identification and development of novel therapies that modify the evolution of the disease.
PD affects almost 1 million people in the US and more than 6 million worldwide. It occurs when brain cells that produce dopamine, a chemical that coordinates movement, stop working or die. Despite decades of research and advances in treatment, knowledge of the factors that drive the disease remains limited.
The $21 million grant will fund a pilot study to analyze plasma samples collected longitudinally, that is, from the same people at various points over time, covering a period of up to 10 years. This will allow researchers to track how different plasma proteins evolve over time in people with PD, which could help establish an early warning system for the onset of the disease.
Stock market performance and potential
Today Grifols shares rise 1.55% in mid-afternoon to reach 8.916 euros on the IBEX 35. The titles have rebounded 40% from the lows of their last 52 weeks, which date back to March 6 of last year ( 6,361 euros), although they are still far from the levels prior to the Gotham City Research attack a year ago.
Analysts covering the stock give it a majority advice of ‘comprar‘, with a target price of 16.91 euros, which is almost 90% above from current levels.