Tercica's Increlex gets EU OD status for primary IGFD

California, USA-based Tercica, a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of products for the endocrine health market, says that the European Commission has granted Increlex (mecasermin [rDNA origin] injection) Orphan Medicinal Product status for the treatment of primary insulin-like growth factor-1 deficiency.

This decision follows similar categorization from the US Food and Drug Administration in the second half of last year (Marketletter September 5, 2005). Tercica's president, John Scarlett, added that the firm was aiming to launch the product in the European Union in 2007, subject to regulatory approval.