| December 26th, 2001 |
Kyowa Hakko has developed |
Kyowa Hakko (President: Dr. Tadashi Hirata) has developed a next-generation technology for the production of highly active antibodies. It will serve as Kyowa's core technology in creating new therapeutic antibodies independently, with which we will be aggressively engaged in therapeutic antibody business. This technology enables the commercial-scale production of antibodies with potent antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC)*. It is designed to decrease the amount of fucose, a kind of sugar contained in antibodies, resulting in a dramatic increase in their ADCC activity. ADCC activity is one of the main mechanisms by which therapeutic antibodies having a large market share in the USA, such as Herceptin (for treating metastatic breast cancer) and Rituxan (for treating non-Hodgkin's lymphoma), exhibit antitumor effects. Enhancing ADCC activity has attracted worldwide attention as a next-generation technology. Animal studies have demonstrated that the antibody produced using this technology has over 100-fold stronger antitumor effects than conventional antibody. Significantly enhancing the activity of antibodies, this technology allows them to be effective at a low dose and thereby offers the great advantages of improving safety profile and others. In addition, animal studies have given evidence that the technology also contributes to producing highly active antibodies for the treatment of allergies. Currently, Kyowa Hakko is making the utmost efforts to achieve its medium-to-long-term vision for Pharmaceuticals business ("Reform for Value Creation"; announced on April 24, 2001), in which drug discovery research including antibody approaches plays a key strategic role. With this technology, we are committed to developing innovative products and also promoting alliances and partnerships to maximize our Pharmaceuticals business.
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