Edmonton biotechnology company Biomira Inc. has laid off staff in New Jersey after abandoning plans to develop two of its cancer vaccine products.
Biomira president and CEO Alex McPherson said last week that the company will instead be focusing on its flagship THERATOPE vaccine — now in Phase 3 clinical trials for metastatic breast cancer — as well as another complementary vaccine. He added that studies under way will be completed, and all patients enrolled in the discontinued product areas will continue to receive therapy as appropriate.
The company plans to have an analysis completed on THERATOPE in the latter half of 2002, and if promising, proceed with obtaining biological licences with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and European regulators with an eye to having a product on the market by early 2004.
“We will work towards licensing our earlier technologies to capture the value we believe these products represent and invest fully in the development and commercialization of THERATOPE® vaccine,” McPherson said.
Due to the suspension of the two programs, 22 out of a total of 185 employees were laid off in Biomira’s New Jersey subsidiary where the programs were managed.
