ProMetic, MacoPharma sign license for filter that reduces mad cow disease pathogens in blood

By E. Janene Geiss

Philadelphia, May 19 - Pathogen Removal and Diagnostic Technologies Inc., a joint venture between ProMetic Life Sciences Inc. and the American Red Cross, announced Friday that it has signed a definitive license agreement with MacoPharma.

Pathogen Removal and its manufacturing and commercial partner, MacoPharma, are bringing to market the first prion filter to demonstrate reduction of TSE prions from whole blood, according to a company news release.

TSEs are fatal brain diseases that include Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy or "mad cow disease" in cattle and Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease in humans.

The P-CAPTTM filter, incorporating Pathogen Removal's affinity technology for the binding and removal of prion proteins, has been developed for the prion reduction of leucodepleted red blood cell concentrates, officials said.

Under the license, MacoPharma said it has obtained the exclusive sale and distribution rights for the P-CAPT filter within Europe in addition to being granted an exclusive worldwide manufacturing license.

Following the successful completion of an extensive endogenous (blood-borne) infectivity study, the P-CAPT filter is being scaled-up for commercial production in MacoPharma's state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Lille, France.

The prion-binding affinity resin, which is incorporated into the P-CAPT filter, will be supplied to MacoPharma by ProMetic Biosciences Ltd., the U.K. subsidiary of ProMetic Life Sciences, officials said.

MacoPharma said it expects that the product will receive CE mark approval and be launched in 2006.

Pathogen Removal is a joint-venture company set up in March 2002 by the American Red Cross, ProMetic Life Sciences Inc. and ProMetic BioSciences Ltd.

The joint venture allows for a reciprocal exchange of technology and a knowledge base developed between the American Red Cross and ProMetic. Its main goal is to develop products and devices to remove and detect different pathogens from biological sources. This research augments work that ProMetic, the American Red Cross and the joint venture's scientific founders have been conducting independently for many years.

MacoPharma, based in Lille, France, develops blood collection and filtration systems with expertise in transfusion and infusion.

ProMetic is a Montreal biopharmaceutical company.

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