CAMBRIDGE, Mass., April 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Transkaryotic
Therapies, Inc. (Nasdaq: TKTX) announced that a fire occurred yesterday
afternoon at its Cambridge, Massachusetts manufacturing facility. All
employees were safely evacuated from the building and no injuries occurred.
The fire originated on the roof of the facility and was confined largely to
the roof. The damage elsewhere was limited to water and smoke damage.
The company manufactures bulk drug substance of its protein products,
Replagal(TM) (agalsidase alfa), its enzyme replacement therapy for Fabry
disease, Iduronate-2-Sulfatase (I2S) for Hunter syndrome, and Gene-
Activated(R) glucocerebrosidase (GA-GCB) for Gaucher disease at this facility.
Based on existing inventory levels, the company does not expect any
interruption with commercial supply of Replagal and material for its clinical
trials in the near-term. No finished goods or drug substance inventories were
lost as a result of the fire, the cause of which is unknown at this time. The
company has temporarily suspended production at the facility. TKT expects to
complete its assessment of the fire's impact on the facility over the next
several days and implement a plan to resume manufacturing at the facility as
quickly as possible. The company plans to provide additional information on
its first quarter 2005 conference call, scheduled for May 5, 2005.
About TKT
Transkaryotic Therapies, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company primarily
focused on researching, developing and commercializing treatments for rare
diseases caused by protein deficiencies. Within this focus, the company
markets Replagal(TM), an enzyme replacement therapy for Fabry disease, and is
developing treatments for Hunter syndrome and Gaucher disease. In addition to
its focus on rare diseases, TKT intends to commercialize Dynepo(TM), its Gene-
Activated(R) erythropoietin product for anemia related to kidney disease, in
the European Union. TKT was founded in 1988 and is headquartered in Cambridge,
Massachusetts, with additional operations in Europe, Canada and South America.
Additional information about TKT is available on the company's website at
http://www.tktx.com.
Safe Harbor for Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding the
proposed transaction between Shire and TKT, and the manufacturing of Replagal,
I2S and GA-GCB, as well as statements about future expectations, beliefs,
goals, plans or prospects, including statements containing the words
"believes," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "estimates," "intends,"
"should," "could," "will," "may," and similar expressions. There are a number
of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from
those indicated by such forward-looking statements, including: whether the
fire will affect its ability to supply product for commercial use or clinical
trials; the extent of damage to the facility; timing of when the facility will
be operational; and other factors set forth under the caption "Certain Factors
That May Affect Future Results" in the company's Annual Report on Form 10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2004, which is on file with the SEC and which
factors are incorporated herein by reference. While the company may elect to
update forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the company
specifically disclaims any obligation to do so, even if its expectations
change.
Gene-Activated(R) is a registered trademark and Replagal(TM) is a
trademark of Transkaryotic Therapies, Inc. Dynepo(TM) is a trademark of
Sanofi-Aventis.
For More Information Contact
Justine E. Koenigsberg
Senior Director, Corporate Communications
(617) 349-0271
Daniella M. Lutz
Manager, Corporate Communications
(617) 349-0205
SOURCE Transkaryotic Therapies, Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.tktx.com
Photo Notes:
NewsCom:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/19990913/TKTLOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Company News On-Call:
http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/120657.html
CONTACT:
Justine E. Koenigsberg, Senior Director,
Corporate Communications, +1-617- 349-0271, or Daniella M. Lutz,
Manager, Corporate Communications, +1-617-349-0205, both of TKT
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