Biotech company Oxford GlycoSciences has won the right to sell a drug against a rare genetic disease exclusively in Europe for the ten years after it is launched., writes David Duffy.
The European Commission has granted Vevesca, OGS's treatment against Gaucher's disease, "orphan drug" status a designation reserved especially for medicines against life-threatening conditions that affect small numbers of people.
The Commission's decision will reinforce OGS's patent protection on the drug by giving it ten years of marketing exclusivity following the drug's regulatory approval. Vevesca is currently undergoing late-stage clinical trials and OGS, which has bases at Milton Park and Abingdon Science Park, said it planned to apply for approval towards the end of 2001.
Gaucher's disease sufferers are unable to store sugars in the body, a condition that can damage vital organs such as liver and spleen. About 3,000 people are diagnosed with the disease each year.
The Gaucher's disease market is worth an estimated 35m a year.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article