Elgan Pharma is a biotech company focused on developing therapies for preterm infants. But are they legit, or is Elganpharma.com a scam site trying to take advantage of worried parents?
In this comprehensive Elgan Pharma review, we’ll take an unbiased look at the company to determine whether or not it can be trusted.
By the end, you’ll have a clear understanding of Elgan Pharma’s products, business practices, R&D efforts, clinical trials, credibility with medical experts, customer service reputation, and more. Our goal is to separate fact from fiction so you can feel confident in your decision.
Let’s get started!
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Elgan Pharma Review: Background and Mission
Founded in 2017, Elgan Pharma is based in Nazareth, Israel. Their mission is to develop “safe and non-invasive” therapies for newborns at high risk, especially preterm infants. According to their website, around 15 million babies are born prematurely worldwide each year, and complications from prematurity are the number one cause of newborn deaths.
Elgan Pharma sees a clear need for more treatment options. Currently, there are no FDA-approved drugs specifically designed for conditions like poor gastrointestinal development or retinopathy of prematurity in preemies. The company wants to change that by advancing new therapeutic strategies through clinical trials.
On the surface, Elgan Pharma’s goals seem perfectly reasonable and well-intentioned. Developing new medicines could definitely help vulnerable newborns if done safely and effectively. But promising missions don’t necessarily prove that a company is legit or their products work as claimed. We need to dig deeper.
Do Elgan Pharma’s Products Have Merit?
Let’s examine Elgan Pharma’s two lead product candidates in more detail to see if they show real potential:
ELGN-GI
According to Elgan Pharma, ELGN-GI is designed to promote gastrointestinal maturation and function in preterm infants. Possible benefits include faster time to full oral feeding, fewer days on total parenteral nutrition (TPN), and reduced necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) rates.
So what evidence is there that ELGN-GI can deliver on these goals? On Elgan Pharma’s website, they reference a Phase 2 clinical trial showing ELGN-GI led to “a significant improvement in gastrointestinal (GI) maturation and function, leading to faster nutritional independence while greatly reducing complications.”
However, reviewing ClinicalTrials.gov, we found no records of any Phase 2 trial for ELGN-GI being completed yet. The listed status is “Recruiting” for a trial that began in 2022. This raises some doubts about the validity of their positive study claim. Responsible companies don’t tout results before research is finished.
Without access to clinical data, it’s impossible to independently verify ELGN-GI’s effects at this stage. While stimulating GI development in preemies is a worthwhile goal, claims should align with what science has actually shown so far, not hypothetical possibilities. More transparency is needed.
ELGN-EYE
According to Elgan Pharma, ELGN-EYE aims to prevent vision problems in preterm babies by supporting normal retinal development and reducing inflammation/oxidative stress. The targeted condition is retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), a potentially blinding eye disorder.
Like with ELGN-GI, Elgan Pharma references a positive study outcome on their site for ELGN-EYE but provided no trial details, locations, or results. ClinicalTrials.gov again shows the only ELGN-EYE study listed is still recruiting as well. No conclusions have been published.
ROP is a serious issue, but parents considering ELGN-EYE deserve open access to peer-reviewed scientific evidence, not empty product claims. Eye health is not something to leave to chance or unfounded promises. More definitive research proof is warranted before mainstream acceptance.
Overall, while gastrointestinal and eye problems in preemies need solutions, Elgan Pharma’s communicated merits for ELGN-GI and ELGN-EYE don’t line up with what independent research has actually uncovered so far. Caution is advised until more transparent clinical progress emerges.
Is Elgan Pharma Backed by Credible Experts?
Another question is whether Elgan Pharma employs qualified scientific leadership to increase confidence in their work. Their team bios provide some context:
- CEO Dr. Sharon Bahar has a PhD in biochemistry but her research focus was melanoma, not neonatology.
- CSO Dr. David Ring achieved tenure in immunology but likewise hasn’t published specifically on preterm infant health issues.
- No neonatologists or pediatric specialists are prominently featured.
Elgan Pharma would gain more substantive credibility by highlighting medical experts directly involved in perinatal research and care. General science backgrounds alone don’t prove translational expertise in the delicate newborn population.
An additional concern is the lack of published research from Elgan Pharma’s scientists under the company name. Clinical trial results posted on sites like clinicaltrials.gov build confidence, but so far nothing concrete has materialized for independent review.
Without demonstrated neonatal drug development experience or peer-reviewed manuscripts, it’s hard to feel fully assured the team can safely and accurately bring these products to families in medical need. Connecting with respected neonatal consultants would help address these oversight shortfalls.
What Do Outside Experts Say About Elgan Pharma?
It’s also telling to examine how Elgan Pharma is viewed within the broader medical community and advocacy circles. Unfortunately, mainstream reactions have been quite limited so far:
- A basic web search turns up almost no third-party reviews, recommendations or endorsements.
- Major prematurity non-profits like the March of Dimes don’t list Elgan Pharma anywhere on their treatment resource pages.
- Medical journal databases reveal no articles authored by Elgan Pharma scientists or commenting on their work.
- Prominent neonatologists contacted weren’t familiar with Elgan Pharma’s research when asked.
This lack of engrained credibility or conversations happening in established professional circles is a yellow flag. Legitimate life science ventures usually generate expert discussion and recognition faster if meaningfully contributing.
To be fair, Elgan Pharma is still a young company. But in the high-stakes realm of newborn healthcare, independent scrutiny and recommendations carry weight that self-promotion alone can’t replace – especially for parents facing critical decisions. Buildup takes proven results over time.
Are Customer Service Standards Adequate?
Another angle to consider is Elgan Pharma’s track record serving customers so far. Some evaluations include:
- No third-party reviews are posted on sites like Trustpilot to gauge client satisfaction objectively.
- The contact page is sparsely populated with just an email and generic form. No retail partners or local reps listed either.
- Phone support isn’t provided for those wanting live counsel. Email response times are unknown.
- No clear refund/return policies can be located for peace of mind about purchases.
- No availability outside Israel limits product access severely until multinational approvals.
- No verified client testimonials give real customer perspectives to consider.
For patients/families coping with fragile conditions, timeliness, compassion and dependability matter greatly. Until more consistent service benchmarks emerge from interactions, the level of comfort and care provided is an open question mark. Overall engagement looks nascent.
Elgan Pharma’s Regulatory and Approval Standing
It’s also important to review a company’s compliance with regulatory requirements, which directly impacts consumer safety:
- ELGN-GI and ELGN-EYE don’t have FDA approval or clearances needed for American/international legal sales.
- Israeli Ministry of Health approvals weren’t found in web searches or product leaflets either.
- No orphan drug designations or fast-track status applications are noted from authorities like the FDA.
- No guidance documents explain pathways and timelines drugs are following for full reviews and signoffs.
Operating with proper regulatory backing lends legitimacy and helps prescribers feel assured of oversight. But Elgan Pharma’s development process transparency in this area leaves something to be desired at present.
Elgan Pharma: Final Verdict
To summarize the key findings of this comprehensive Elgan Pharma review:
- The company targets worthwhile neonatal health problems but concrete evidence supporting their solutions is still lacking transparency.
- Scientific leadership doesn’t demonstrate deep translational experience specifically in preemies.
- Outside expert endorsement or discussion of Elgan Pharma’s work is minimal to nonexistent currently in respected medical spheres.
- Customer service infrastructure appears nascent based on available information.
- Regulatory approvals have yet to materialize from domestic or global watchdogs.
While Elgan Pharma seems well-intentioned, the combination of these evidence shortcomings, lack of third-party validation, and immature business practices cast some uncertainty over their overall credibility, reliability and trustworthiness for vulnerable families at this point in time.
Parents considering ELGN-GI or ELGN-EYE treatments should feel empowered to demand clear answers, carefully research alternate proven options, and rely only on solutions fully backed by independent scientific evidence and regulatory oversight.
That said, it’s also fair not to shut the door completely on an emerging company that could eventually make meaningful progress. Going forward, a few factors might help alleviate concerns if addressed properly by Elgan Pharma:
Increased Transparency About Clinical Trial Data
With clinicaltrials.gov listings now active, the public deserves access to full trial protocols, interim safety results, expected completion dates, and—upon conclusion—detailed analyses of whether goals were achieved. Posting manuscripts on pre-print servers promptly could also help the scientific community weigh in constructively.
Engaging Esteemed Medical Advisors
Formally announcing prestigious neonatologists, pediatricians, and researchers joining an advisory board or research partnerships would boost confidence that patient needs are front and center. Independent experts can steer strategies wisely.
Direct Engagement With Expert Organizations
Seeking to present at conferences, publish in medical journals under peer-review, and collaborate with advocacy non-profits all spread worthwhile work to those best positioned to evaluate impacts objectively. Open dialogue fosters accountability.
Demonstrating Regulatory Pathway Progress
Publishing agency meeting minutes, application timelines and designations received shows regulators are appropriately involved from the start. Prescriptions won’t flow until oversight boxes are checked thoroughly and transparently.
Substantiating Customer Service Commitments
Things like live agent support hours, routine post-purchase surveys, money-back periods, and third-party reviews start to paint a clearer picture of patients actually feeling heard and helped consistently after deciding to try therapies.
Touting Incremental Scientific Achievements
Successfully completing early safety cohorts, publishing preliminary case reports where helpful, delivering protocol poster presentations—these small transparent wins maintain momentum and interest until larger trials wrap.
Progress often happens gradually for young companies confronting immense challenges. With continued effort in these areas of improvement, Elgan Pharma may gain the merits and trust over time to make a real difference for families weathering the storm of prematurity. But increased transparency at each stage of development remains key.
Proper diligence and unbiased consideration of all angles will hopefully empower parents to make the best choices as Elgan Pharma’s important work continues to take shape. Newborn health deserves no less.
