FREMONT, Calif., May 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Abgenix, Inc. (Nasdaq: ABGX) and
Genzyme Transgenics Corporation ("GTC") (Nasdaq: GZTC) announced today that
they have signed an agreement to produce Abgenix' fully human monoclonal
antibody, ABX-IL8, using GTC's manufacturing system. Under the terms of the
agreement, in exchange for undisclosed fees and milestone payments, Genzyme
Transgenics will develop transgenic goats that express ABX-IL8 in their milk.
ABX-IL8 is currently in Phase II clinical trials for psoriasis.
"We believe that there are several potential medical applications for ABX-
IL8, representing a significant market opportunity," said R. Scott Greer,
chairman and CEO of Abgenix. "The ABX-IL8 program has advanced to the stage
where we need to begin planning for commercial production. We see GTC's
exciting transgenic production technology as a potential alternative or
supplement to traditional cell culture manufacturing."
"We are especially pleased to announce this agreement for the transgenic
production of ABX-IL8, a fully human antibody generated with Abgenix'
XenoMouse(TM) technology," said Sandra Nusinoff Lehrman, M.D., president and
CEO of Genzyme Transgenics. "This relationship demonstrates the complementary
nature of Abgenix' and GTC's technologies. We are pleased to have Abgenix as a
new partner for the production of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies. GTC,
along with eight partners, is now developing transgenic versions of 11
antibody/Ig fusion molecules in goats."
The Abgenix and GTC technologies, both of which involve transgenic
animals, are complementary. Abgenix generates numerous fully human antibodies
to a given target using its XenoMouse strain of transgenic mice. From this
pool of different antibodies, Abgenix then selects the optimal antibody and
its corresponding gene for product development. GTC, with its proprietary
technology, can engineer the gene encoding the selected antibody into
transgenic goats that will produce the antibody in their milk. The antibody is
then purified from the goat's milk. With a small herd of such transgenic
goats, sufficient antibody could theoretically be produced to meet even large
market needs.
Abgenix is a biopharmaceutical company that develops and intends to
commercialize antibody therapies for the treatment of such conditions as
transplant-related diseases, inflammatory and autoimmune disorders,
cardiovascular disease, infectious diseases, and cancer. For more information
on Abgenix, visit the company's Web site at http://www.abgenix.com.
Abgenix developed XenoMouse technology to enable the rapid generation of
high affinity, fully human antibody product candidates to essentially any
disease target appropriate for antibody therapy. Abgenix has collaborative
arrangements with multiple pharmaceutical, genomics, and biotechnology
companies involving its XenoMouse technology. In addition, Abgenix has
multiple proprietary antibody product candidates under development internally,
three of which are in human clinical trials for graft-versus-host disease,
psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, and cancer.
Statements made in this press release about Abgenix's XenoMouse
technology, product development activities and collaborative arrangements
other than statements of historical fact, are forward looking statements and
are subject to a number of uncertainties that could cause actual results to
differ materially from the statements made, including risks associated with
the success of clinical trials, the progress of research and product
development programs, the regulatory approval process, competitive products,
future capital requirements and the extent and breadth of Abgenix's patent
portfolio. Please see Abgenix's public filings with the Securities and
Exchange Commission for information about risks that may affect Abgenix.
SOURCE Abgenix, Inc.
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CONTACT:
Kurt Leutzinger, Chief Financial Officer of
Abgenix, Inc., 510-608-6575
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