Biotech Values

[DewDiligence]

ATryn vs plasma-derived AT:

[From the Yahoo board.]

by: DewDiligence
08/10/05 11:23 am
Msg: 22073 of 22080

>>The objection I have received in speaking about GTC to very smart, but not infallible, biotech analysts, is that physicians will be very reluctant to prescribe transgenic therapies due to immunogenicity safety concerns.<<

I think that’s a misguided view. Given the choice of prescribing a recombinant protein or a plasma-derived protein, it’s hard to see why doctors would prefer a plasma-derived protein (unless it were substantially cheaper).

ATryn has not shown immunogenicity in any clinical trial to date. An allergic reaction to ATryn’s trace amounts of goat antigen is theoretically possible, but unlikely.

On the other hand, plasma-derived antithrombin could have all kinds of dangerous stuff lurking that blood-screening tools do not catch or even test for.

I assume your question was addressed to the European antithrombin market. In the U.S. market, the choice you wrote about does not even arise because there is no plasma-derived antithrombin that is consistently available. Regards, Dew

[Posted as a reply to: Msg 22062 by beachgal7711]