Baxter adds recombinant protein to portfolio

USA-based Baxter International has signed an agreement with Kaketsuken, the Chemo-Sero-Therapeutic Research Institute, based in Kumamoto Japan, for the worldwide rights to develop, manufacture and market the recombinant protein ADAMTS13.

The development of recombinant ADAMTS13, a bio-engineered version of a naturally-occurring enzyme that plays a critical role in blood coagulation, will strengthen Baxter's preclinical R&D pipeline for specialty therapeutics targeting rare diseases. The absence of ADAMTS13 in the blood leads patients to develop a severe, often life-threatening condition called thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP), marked by the formation of platelet-rich blood clots in blood vessels throughout the body. Recombinant ADAMTS13 is being developed for the treatment of TTP and related disorders and will be evaluated for other indications in the future. This agreement provides an opportunity for Baxter to exclusively develop a new recombinant protein and investigate its potential use in treating unmet medical needs.

Hartmut Ehrlich, vice president of global R&D for Baxter's BioScience business, said: "elucidating the role of recombinant ADAMTS13 in TTP and other blood-clotting disorders might provide us with a new treatment modality for thrombotic diseases, which is a substantial addition to our R&D pipeline."