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Bristol-Myers Squibb announced today that it will purchase California-based Kosan Biosciences for approximately $190 million. Kosan has been developing two classes of oncology drugs known as heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) and epothilones. One of Kosan's Hsp90 compounds is currently in Phase III clinical testing for the treatment of multiple myeloma.

Kosan’s epothilone program will complement existing BMS programs designed to develop novel chemotherapy-based oncology products. The Hsp90 clinical program will help to sure up BMS’s push to become a next generation biopharma company.

Kosan was originally founded as an antimicrobial drug development company based on a novel combinatorial drug development (polyketide) platform but eventually morphed into a cancer-focused business. In addition to Kosan’s pipeline, BMS will inherit a small GMP biomanufacturing facility.

The acquisition is good news for Kosan which has been struggling of late. Unlike most other companies, BMS usually retains the employees of companies that it acquires. That said, only time will tell.

Until next time…

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting!!!!!!! 

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For the past year or more, the US media has been vociferously bashing tainted imported Chinese goods any time it can. The tainted products have ranged from toys to dog food and most recently to Baxter’s heparin which has been associated with illnesses and deaths in this country.  

I suspect that this recent spate of China bashing has more to do with political and future economic issues than the safety and well being of the American public. Nevertheless, according to US Food and Drug Administration Current Good Manufacturing Practices (CGMP) regulations, companies that hold the licenses to manufacture pharmaceutical and biotechnology products assume full responsibility for the quality and safety of their products. To accomplish this, companies are required to test all raw materials, excipients and APIs (regardless of their source) before they are assembled to make a finish pharmaceutical or biotechnology product. The results of these tests must be carefully analyzed and compared with the product quality specifications established by the company and approved by FDA. If the test results for product ingredients are outside of the normal range of established specifications, then the company is obliged to reject the materials and not used them to manufacture product. To that end, there was clearly, something was wrong with quality testing at the Baxter heparin manufacturing facility because the adulterated heparin API should have been detected long, before it was used to manufacture the final product. Although the Chinese heparin may have adulterated, the onus was on Baxter (the company that holds the product license) and not the Chinese government to insure its final product met quality standards and was safe for public use.

Outsourcing is a fact of life in almost every sector of the American economy. Pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies import the materials they use in their products from all over the world. It is FDA’s job to insure that American companies remain CGMP compliant so that they produce safe and effective medications. To blame America’s regulatory shortcomings on foreign manufacturers and their governments is dangerous and naïve-not to mention chauvinistic.

Until next time…

Good Luck and Good Job Hunting (try Shanghai)!!!!!!!!!!

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