Oxford boosted by EMA oprhan drug designation

20th Jan 2010 08:42

Gene therapy company Oxford Biomedica said UshStat, its treatement for Usher syndrome 1B, has received orphan designation from the Committee for Orphan Medicinal Products of the European Medicines Agency.Companies with European orphan drug designation benefit from incentives, including ten years of marketing exclusivity and reduced regulatory fees, the company said.‘This designation is an important step towards the start of clinical trials of UshStat for Usher syndrome 1B as part of our landmark collaboration with Sanofi-aventis to develop gene therapies in the field of ophthalmology,’ said John Sawson, chief executive officer of Oxford Biomedica. Usher syndrome 1B is an inherited condition that results in hearing loss and progressive loss of vision from retinitis pigmentosa.