Bristol Myers Squibb to license manufacturing of Orencia

Bristol-Myers-Squibb (BMS) has announced that the FDA has approved the third-party licensing of Orencia, an arthritis drug, to Lonza Biologics, a Swiss chemical and biopharmaceuticals plant.

The US-based company says the licensing agreement was designed because it expects Orencia to have great long-term demand. In June last year, Lonza also confirmed with BMS plans for a large-scale production plant in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, as part of the Swiss company’s growth strategy. Lonza has one research and development plant located in Slough, Berkshire, which employs over 100 scientists. The site also holds a 45,000 square-foot drug factory which has produced drugs for the American market.

BMS claims that Orencia is the first treatment for rheumatoid arthritis that uses a selective modulator of a co-stimulatory signal needed for T-cell activation. Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that results from the loss of the proper regulation of T-cells, which can attack the joints of the body. The trials showed “a major clinical response” for patients who have not responded well to currently-available rheumatoid arthritis treatments, such as methotrexate or anti-TNF therapy.

The UK’s Arthritis Research Campaign estimates that up to seven million Britons suffer from one of the 200 types of arthritis, or their related diseases. It is one body funded by the new Charities Lottery, for which tickets go on sale today.

© Adfero Ltd