Here's a follow-up to our popular post about transgenic pigs makingdrugs in their milk. Oxford Biomedica and Viragen, Inc. yesterday announced that they have produced two therapeutic proteins in the whites of transgenic chicken eggs. Publishing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS), the companies describe how the "OVA technique" created two substances: miR24, a monoclonal antibody for advanced malignant melanoma, and interferon beta-1a, a multiple sclerosis treatment currently marketed under two competing brand names, Avonex® (Biogen Idec) and Rebif® (Serono).
A Reuters article outlines the promise of animal factories for pricey therapies -- Avonex therapy costs $850 per month and can stretch on for years. Outsourcing pharma to the barnyard could make important drugs affordable to all.
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