LEIDEN, NETHERLANDS--(Marketwire - June 10, 2011) - Biotech company Pharming Group NV (“Pharming”) (NYSE Euronext: PHARM) is pleased to acknowledge the recent announcement by GTC Biotherapeutics, Inc. (GTC), a wholly-owned subsidiary of LFB Biotechnologies S.A.S., that it has been granted, amongst others, a patent by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) covering DNA constructs that are being used for the production of any therapeutic protein in the milk of any transgenic animal, and that the broad claims in the patent provide further protection for this transgenic technology to 2027.
Pharming has a cross-license on this family of patents, based on an agreement with GTC which was signed in June 2002. Therefore the granting of this new patent also provides further protection in the United States for Pharming’s core technology platform directed to the generation of transgenic animals that produce proteins in their milk.
The strengthening and extension of the protection includes Pharming’s proprietary rabbit based platform which is specific to Pharming, has been validated by the EU approval of Ruconest™ and provides unique properties enabling the development of complex proteins such, as human C1 Inhibitor, that to date have not been produced in an otherwise economically viable way.
Furthermore the industrial application of our rabbit platform features certain know-how elements specific to Pharming which contribute to significantly lower capital risk and manufacturing expenditures as well as delivering a more flexible supply chain than with any other biologicals production platforms, including larger transgenic animals. It is from this rabbit based platform that Pharming plans to create new development assets to further its pipeline.
Click here to view GTC’s press release on their website
About Pharming Group NV
Pharming Group NV is developing innovative products for the treatment of unmet medical needs. Ruconest® (Rhucin® in non-European territories) is a recombinant human C1 inhibitor approved for the treatment of angioedema attacks in patients with HAE in all 27 EU countries plus Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, and is distributed in the EU by Swedish Orphan Biovitrum (STO: SOBI). The product is also under development for follow-on indications, i.e. antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) and delayed graft function (DGF) following kidney transplantation. The advanced technologies of the Company include innovative platforms for the production of protein therapeutics, technology and processes for the purification and formulation of these products. Additional information is available on the Pharming website, www.pharming.com.
This press release contains forward looking statements that involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward looking statements.
Press release (PDF): http://hugin.info/132866/R/1522621/458830.pdf
This announcement is distributed by Thomson Reuters on behalf of Thomson Reuters clients. The owner of this announcement warrants that:
(i) the releases contained herein are protected by copyright and other applicable laws; and
(ii) they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein.
Source: Pharming Group N.V. via Thomson Reuters ONE
[HUG#1522621]
Contact:
Sijmen de Vries
CEO
T: +31 (0)71 52 47 400
