Digg icon reddit icon Stumbleupon icon
Print Email     Print Edition Stories

Thursday, February 26, 2009

GTC partners with New Zealand firm on transgenics

By Marc Songini

Transgenics medicine maker GTC Biotherapeutics Inc. is linking up with a New Zealand-based company to provide it with animals necessary to create its products.

Framingham-based GTC makes ATryn, used to prevent thromboembolic problems. It produces the drug in the milk of goats, with human genes. GTC (Nasdaq: GTCB) has entered into a collaboration with New Zealand-based AgResearch Ltd. to develop transgenic founder animals that produce biosimilar monoclonal antibodies.

Using New Zealand animals will enable earlier sales of its products in Europe and other places, letting it make more money, as GTC’s relevant patents will expire in Europe before they do in the United States.

AgResearch will establish transgenic founder production lines, with most of the money provided by a grant from the New Zealand government. AgResearch will receive royalties on the future sales of the products. In a statement, GTC claimed AgResearch has “significant experience and expertise in pioneering transgenic techniques” and already has developed transgenic animals for other programs.

Earlier this month, GTC won approval for ATryn from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. ATryn is the first transgenically produced therapeutic protein and the first recombinant antithrombin in the United States, claimed GTC. ATryn had already been approved in the European Union. In addition to ATryn, GTC is developing a portfolio of recombinant human plasma proteins with therapeutic properties.
 

Digg icon reddit icon Stumbleupon icon
Contact Editor Latest News

Comments

Please Login/Register to post comments.

No comments have been added or approved.

On the MHT blog now

Flagsuit wins another NASA Astronaut Glove Challenge

Southwest Harbor, Maine's Peter Homer won $450,000 in NASA's Astronaut Glove Challenge yesterday. This is Homer's second time winning the contest. Homer's first win in 2007 launched his startup, Flagsuit. Flagsuit is developing pressure suits using the same technology as Homer's prizewinning gloves -- for use as a wearable substitute for hyperbaric chambers used to treat conditions such as ...

Read More

Most Popular Stories
EmailedViewed
Stay Informed
Check which newsletter you'd like to receive.
TechFlash (Daily)
FinanceFlash (Daily)
BioFlash (Daily)
GreenFlash (Weekly)
Startup Report (Weekly)
Breaking news, MHT events, local announcements
RSS feeds
Your email:

Affiliate publications: ACBJ.com, Boston Business Journal, Bizjournals.com, Portfolio.com, Wired.com

Web Site Developed by Neptune Web, Inc.

Use of, registration on, this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement. Please read our Privacy Policy (updated) A publishing partner with Portfolio