FDA clears ImClone's BB50 production unit

ImClone Systems, which is the subject of an agreed $6.5-billion takeover by US drug major Eli Lilly (Marketletter October 13), says that it has received approval from the Food and Drug Administration for its state-of-the-art "BB50" facility to manufacture multiple products. This approval significantly expands ImClone's total available production volume capacity for its proprietary pipeline of novel antibodies, which are now entering late-stage clinical development, the firm notes.