SANDOZ PUK (PROUROKINASE) CURRENTLY IN PHASE I CLINICALS

SANDOZ PUK (PROUROKINASE) CURRENTLY IN PHASE I CLINICALS, licensing partner Collaborative Research noted in its just-released annual report for 1986. The Bedford, Mass.-based biotech firm reported that during the year it used a proprietary tissue culture process to produce enough PUK for all remaining trials. PUK, formerly called kidney plasminogen activator, is being developed as an antithrombolytic agent for the treatment of heart attack. "Preliminary results confirm the expectations, based on earlier studies, that the drug appears to be not only effective, but seems to work at relatively lower dosages than does tissue plasminogen activator (TPA)," the report states. Genentech filed an NDA for TPA in 1986. That drug could be approved in 1987. "Although this [thrombolytic] market promises to be highly competitive, Collaborative and its licensee, Sandoz, believe that PUK will gain significant market share," the company stated. "While many potential competitors seeking to produce and market recombinantly made TPA face the possibility of infringing patents that have been filed by others, the current Collaborative/Sandoz natural PUK product is free of this possibility." The company noted it has also teamed up with Triton Biosciences to develop natural interleukin-2 for use in the adoptive immuno-therapy treatment of cancer. "Collaborative Research is pursuing its research and clinical trials with natural IL-2 because it is possible that the natural physiologic form of IL-2 may have certain therapeutic advantages over recombinant forms," the report states. In addition, the report notes that Collaborative is providing a strain of yeast-produced alpha interferon to another biotech firm, Interferon Sciences, which is developing the drug for treatment of gential warts and herpes infections.