FDA, MS, Life Sciences

FDA Allows High-Yield Tysabri Production

Ryan McBride 4/16/09

Cambridge, MA-based biotech firm Biogen Idec (NASDAQ:BIIB) says that the FDA has approved a high-yield process for making multiple sclerosis drug natalizumab (Tysabri). This process for making natalizumab, an antibody drug that Biogen co-markets with Irish drug company Elan, was also approved by the European Medicines Agency in December 2008. Biogen plans to use the process to make natalizumab at its plant in Research Triangle Park, N.C.

Ryan McBride is Xconomy's correspondent. You can reach him at rmcbride@xconomy.com, or follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Ryan_McBride.