Novo milestone for Neose Technologies

Pennsylvania, USA-based Neose Technologies says that it has received a research milestone payment from Denmark's Novo Nordisk under a license entered into in November 2003 for the use of the former's GlycoPEGylation technology to develop next-generation versions of Factors VIII and IX. The company is also working with Novo Nordisk to develop a next-generation version of Factor VIIa.

George Vergis, Neose's chief executive, said: "Novo continues to be an ideal partner for Neose, providing significant clinical development expertise and a strong commitment to broadening their hemostasis product portfolio that should prove invaluable in the success of long-acting Factors VIIa, VIII and IX."

Factor VIII products are used in the treatment of hemophilia A, often called classic hemophilia, with people having this not producing adequate amounts of Factor VIII, which is necessary for the blood to clot effectively. According to the National Hemophilia Foundation, this is the most common type of hemophilia, occurring in one in 5,000-10,000 male births. The worldwide market for recombinant Factor VIII products was approximately $2.0 billion in 2005