Laboratoires Kôl
Creation date: 2020
Field: development and marketing of ophthalmic drugs
Status: start-up
Employees: around 15
Sales 2024: €25 million
Website: laboratoires-kol.com
Support : Village By CA
Highlights :
meeting with:
Sophie Momège founder and managing director of Kôl.
>> her LinkedIn
Eyes in the lab
Fresh from a doctorate in industrial pharmacy at the University of Clermont-Ferrand, Sophie Momège joined Laboratoires Théa in 1995. “I joined this tiny company and we transformed it into the European leader in ophthalmology”. The former doctoral student’s rise mirrored that of the group, which now has around 2,000 employees. She held the position of Head of Pharmaceutical Affairs for 25 years. It was in 2018 that she decided to turn the page for another ocular adventure:
Rare diseases: a market neglected by major pharmaceutical companies
Rare diseases affect less than one person in 2,000. “It’s a niche market that’s not very profitable for big companies. But not for a start-up, because we do tailor-made products.” Sophie M. let her entrepreneurial spirit shine through in 2020 when she created Laboratoires Kôl – a reference to the cosmetic and therapeutic mineral powder used by the Egyptians over 4,000 years ago. She hand-picked her first collaborators. “All senior experts with whom I’d already worked. Competence comes at a price,” admits Sophie M., “but it helps us to get up and running much more quickly.
Ciclograft, the first eye drop to be marketed in 2021
In early 2021, an opportunity arose to market Ciclograft, an eye drop developed in collaboration with a Lyon-based company. These eye drops are used to prevent corneal transplant rejection. In France, 6,000 patients have already been treated with Ciclograft. Kôl’s second eye drop, Olisens, combats neovascularization of the cornea, a pathology that can threaten eyesight.
Profitable and international
in the blink of an eye
Kôl wastes no time: the structure becomes profitable in just six months. “We arrived like kings! “recalls Sophie M.
By fiscal 2023, sales for the Clermont-Ferrand-based company had risen to over 12 million euros, with the French market extended to the Maghreb. The challenge is to get our products reimbursed. In France, we’re lucky enough to have a system that covers healthcare costs, but it’s more difficult in many other countries.
A favorable local ecosystem
“In France, Clermont-Ferrand is said to be the cradle of ophthalmology,” asserts Sophie M. This is borne out by the renown of the Chibret family, behind Laboratoires Chibret and Théa. And when she talks about her Auvergne base, she is often told “it’s good to keep labs that aren’t Parisian”. Kôl benefits from a rich pharmaceutical industrial base, notably with the Groupement des industries de médicaments de la région Auvergne (Gimra): 38 members on the counter: companies in the sector or institutional structures such as the Clermont-Ferrand Faculty of Pharmacy. Sophie M. retains close links with her former university, where she taught courses and is now president of the business club at the Université Clermont Auvergne (Uca). “Our aim is to facilitate relations between companies and students. To improve feedback on work-study and internship experiences.”
A link in the chain
“The products never pass through our facilities. The mechanism is quite surprising when you don’t know pharma. It’s each to his own,” admits the manager. Manufacturing is handled by Unither Pharmaceuticals, a subcontractor based in Coutances, Normandy. The eye drops are then stored in Clermont by Movianto, Europe’s leading pharmaceutical logistics company, which is responsible for sending the parcels to the hospitals. For its part, Kôl focuses on the development, marketing and registration of drugs with the authorities. The start-up also produces medical information on rare diseases for healthcare professionals, enabling them to set up a specific care pathway for the patients concerned.
Think big, but keep the Kôl DNA
“Our goal now is to win the international market.” To achieve this, we also need to secure the long-term status of our drugs. They benefit from “special authorizations as rare diseases with no therapeutic alternative, but they are also subject to other registration procedures at European level”. With the support of the BPI, which acts as guarantor for the banks, Kôl intends to develop new products. The next one will hit the market in mid-2025. Classified as confidential, it will respect the laboratory’s vision of focusing on rare diseases.
I remain a pharmacist first and foremost. Improving patients’ health is in my DNA.