GTC Biotherapeutics (fka GTCB)

[mblimon]

Dew, I cannot judge on what the author writes on other companies than Pharming and GTC, but what she writes on Pharming is full of tremendous mistakes. So, I incline not to trust the rest of the article either. Apparently, the article has not been screened by a scientific editor, otherwise it would have gone back to the author or into the dustbin. I am astonished that Nature produces such poor quality.

Just a few remarks on flagrant mistakes regarding Pharming:

- "The birth of Herman the transgenic bull in 1990 was supposed to herald the start of a new era in pharmaceuticals. As a bull, Herman failed spectacularly in his main job: to produce an iron-rich human protein called lactoferrin in milk. Even his offspring produced disappointingly low levels of the protein."

WRONG, Pharming did finally succesfully produce transgenic cattle producing economically viable quantities of rhLactoferrin in the ninetees. It was the public opinion, which stopped them from launching the product together with Baby Food giant Numico. Right now they in the process of obtaining GRAS-status for rhLactoferrine.

WRONG. Lactoferrine is not iron-rich, but binds and transports iron to the right place.


- "The company folded two years later. Its competitor, Pharming, nearly went broke around the same time, after deciding to switch from rabbits to cell culture for production of another drug. It has since stabilized as Pharming Group, based in Leiden, the Netherlands"

WRONG: It was partner Genzyme which decided to switch to cell culture, while having an agreement with Pharming to develop rh alpha-glucosidase against Pompe's Disease. Genzyme almost liquidated Pharming, because it had asked Pharming to invest heavily in infrastructure and provided loans for that. Once the project was aborted by Genzyme, Genzyme tried to obtain the technology for next to nothing.

Finally, the author has clearly not contacted Pharming, but quotes an analist, Wijma, who has recently been very negative about Pharming. It is said that he is so negative, because his company (SNS) owns shares in one of Pharming's competitors in the HAE-market, a german company called Jerini. His company also helped Jerini to issue shares.

So, I would not take this Nature-article very serious.