BioCentury
ARTICLE | Strategy

Kamada's Liquidity Event

Kamada's Glassia provides a liquid option for alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency

July 12, 2010 7:00 AM UTC

Although Kamada Ltd.'s Glassia is the fourth alpha-1 antitrypsin to reach the market in the U.S., the company expects its liquid formulation will allow it to carve out a niche in treating AAT deficiency. The other three drugs are supplied in a lyophilized form that must be reconstituted prior to administration.

AAT is a protease inhibitor present in the lungs; it irreversibly inhibits neutrophil elastase (NE; ELA-2), which is secreted by neutrophils during inflammation. AAT deficiency is an autosomal co-dominant disease in which patients have higher than normal NE and neutrophil counts in their lungs. Patients have an increased risk of emphysema, as high levels of NE and neutrophils have been associated with lung injury...