Kedrion and ProMetic enter orphan drug R&D alliance

Italian drugmaker Kedrion SpA and the USA's ProMetic BioTherapeutics have formed a strategic alliance to develop orphan drugs derived from human plasma utilizing ProMetic's proprietary manufacturing process, the plasma protein purification system (PPPS). The alliance was conceived to select specific proteins, which can be manufactured into drugs that either have received orphan drug designation or have the potential to receive it. According to ProMetics, its PPPS technology, which was co-developed with The American Red Cross, can be applied to the recovery of certain proteins that have established therapeutic value but cannot be extracted effectively via current manufacturing practices, or that are not the focus of large plasma fractionators.