Blood knowhow wins German Red Cross Kiadis contract ahead of CMOs
The deal - financial terms of which were not disclosed - will see Kiadis transfer the technology needed to produce its Phase II product candidate ATIR, which is a cell-based treatment that allows stem cell transplantations from mismatched donors.
Kiadis told Outsourcing-Pharma.com that: "The GRCBDS [German Red Cross] is highly experienced in manufacturing all kinds of blood-derived products and a perfect partner for this kind of product.
It added that: "Other CMOs would also be able to do this but might not have the same head-start of being involved in this area for decades."
The firm also told us "rates charged by the GRCBDS are competitive and in the range of other international CMOs."
Graft versus host disaes dealt with
Kiadis' ATIR is less a treatment than it is a way of providing sufferers of late-stage blood cancer with the possibility of receiving a transplant from an unmatched donor without the risk of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) as the firm explained.
"The donor immune cells are are simply exposed to antigens from the patient in the culture flask to activate immuncells which would cause GvHD in the patient. These GvHD-eliciting cells are then specifically eliminated using Kiadis’ technology."
When tech-transfer is completed later this year the GRCBDS will be responsible for the manufacture of ATIR from the starting materials - a process known as apheresis where the immune cells responsible for GVHD are removed. The final product, formulated ATIR frozen on liquid nitrogen, whill then be available for transplant.
