Kedrion's Partner, Kamada Ltd, Signs a Supply Agreement with the Israeli Health Authorities for the Investigational Anti-COVID-19 Plasma-Derived Therapy
Published: Oct. 22, 2020 at 8:27 a.m. ET
LUCCA, Italy, Oct. 22, 2020 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- LUCCA, Italy, Oct. 22, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Israeli health authorities have signed a supply agreement for the investigational COVID-19 plasma-derived Immunoglobulin (IgG), to be supplied by Kamada Ltd., a biopharmaceutical company which is the partner of Kedrion Biopharma of Italy in the development of the new anti-COVID-19 therapy.
The Israeli company will manufacture the product, to be supplied to the Ministry of Health, from convalescent plasma collected by the Israeli National Blood Services, a division of Magen David Adom (MADA), and additional Israeli medical institutions. The initial order to be supplied in the next few months is sufficient to treat approximately 500 hospitalized patients.
"We are pleased to work in collaboration with Kamada on the development and global distribution of this important therapy, which we hope will help patients in Israel and around the world," said Paolo Marcucci, chairman of Kedrion Biopharma.
In April 2020 Kedrion and Kamada established a global collaboration for the development, manufacturing, and distribution of a plasma-derived IgG product as a potential treatment for COVID-19.
The companies' U.S. clinical development of a plasma-derived IgG product as a potential COVID-19 treatment is expected to begin in early 2021 pending IND acceptance by the FDA.
Val Romberg, Kedrion's recently named CEO, said the news from Israel was "a welcome milestone" and added: "The progress made in Israel is a positive and encouraging sign for patients everywhere."
Kedrion, in collaboration with Kamada, is continuing with the development of new anti-Covid therapies together with its research partner Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York. In July Kedrion announced it was forming a research partnership with Columbia University Medical Center that is aimed at helping to develop a new plasma-based anti-Covid therapy.
About Kedrion Biopharma
Kedrion Biopharma is a leading international biopharmaceutical company that specializes in the development, production and distribution of plasma-derived therapeutic products for use in treating serious diseases, disorders and conditions such as immune system deficiencies and coagulation disorders. Kedrion has special expertise in the treatment of rare diseases and in the manufacture of hyper-immune products such as antibodies for HBV, Tetanus and hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn. The company operates through a fully integrated business model from the collection of plasma in its own centers in the United States and Hungary to fractionation and production in its manufacturing facilities located in Italy, Hungary and the United States. Headquartered in Castelvecchio Pascoli (Italy), Kedrion has over 2,700 employees and a commercial presence in approximately 100 countries worldwide. Kedrion places a high value on the welfare of those who benefit from its products, as well as on the people and the communities it serves. Additional information about Kedrion Biopharma can be found at www.kedrion.com and www.kedrion.us.
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