EMEA considers Atryn goats milk therapy

The first treatment made from the milk of a genetically modified animal is being considered by the European medicines authority, the BBC has reported.

Atryn, a recombinant form of human antithrombin developed by GTC Biotherapeutics, is being extracted from a set of modified goats which have had a gene for producing the anti-coagulant inserted into their milk DNA.

GTC said that, previous to Atryn, antithrombin was difficult to produce using conventional techniques for making recombinant proteins. If the drug is approved by the EMEA, then it could provide a vital life saving treatment for patients who have hereditary antithrombin deficiency (HD) and cannot clot their blood easily.

Geoffery Cox, CEO of GTC, told BBC News: “It takes just 18 months to produce a lactating animal and in a single year one goat produces the equivalent of 90,000 blood collections.”

Experts in thrombosis are not put off by the animal source of the drug. Dr Beverly Hunt of St Thomas Hospital said that dangers of contracting a disease from goats can be mitigated.

“Yes we do need to think about risk of disease transmission from animals, but we already use direct animal products such as heparin from pig tissue and leech extracts for blood thinning, without causing harm to people,” she said.

The EMEA wishes to inspect GTC’s manufacturing site prior to approving the drug by the end of the month.

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