PlantPharm Biomed On Target To Introduce First Plant-Based Hepatitis B Vaccine

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PlantPharm Biomed On Target To Introduce First Plant-Based Hepatitis B Vaccine

Article Date: 05 Apr 2011 - 2:00 PDT

PlantPharm Biomed, a leader in plant-derived biomanufacturing, is on the cusp of

introducing one of the first Plant-Made Pharmaceuticals (PMPs) with the release

of an oral Hepatitis B vaccine proven to work in human subjects in a

double-blind, placebo controlled Phase I clinical trial. The company is

currently seeking FDA approval of the product, with other Plant-Made

Pharmaceuticals products to follow.

Plant-Made Pharmaceuticals offer a faster, lower cost, more efficient method of

producing pharmaceuticals, however, the industry has been struggling for years

to find a method of production that is safe and effective. To achieve success,

pharmaceutical proteins in plants must be grown in a zero-tolerance, 100%

containment method for the public safety, with no potential to co-mingle with

the food or seed supply. PlantPharm Biomed developed a proprietary,

closed-environment growing system that has been perfected in cooperation with

NASA. This biomanufacturing technology includes 30 patents and registrations

worldwide, and the controlled environment production of fast growth,

pathogen-free seed potatoes has been perfected by the company for more than a

decade. PlantPharm is pleased to announce that the technology is now ready for

use in biomanufacturing Plant-Made Pharmaceuticals.

Recognized with Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) certification and

supported the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), PlantPharm's technology is

designed to control all plant growth needs in a completely closed production

system that is computer-controlled to provide for as many as six crops annually.

Plants are grown with precise duplication of conditions to provide for optimum

production for each harvest, and with full containment security for prevention

of plant genetic migration into the wild.

PlantPharm Biomed is on track to be the first-to-market with an oral dose

hepatitis B vaccine produced completely in potato plants. The global demand is

evident for a low-cost, shelf-stable, orally administered vaccine. According to

the World Health Organization (WHO), goals to reduce hepatitis B infections by

2012 are at risk due to immunization and surveillance gaps. Nearly 2 billion

people are infected with hepatitis B, and 350 million more have chronic

infections. With PlantPharm's patented technology, cost of production for a

hepatitis B vaccine will reduce the per dose costs to recipients by nearly 50%.

The dosage is also oral rather than injected, making it is easier to administer

in mass quantities with a greater shelf life than liquid vaccines, a particular

problem in places with inadequate refrigeration and infrastructure limitations,

such as in third-world countries.

Source:

PlantPharm Biomed