FibroGen and Zeneca Scale-Up Collagen - Company Business and Marketing

Applied Genetics News, April, 1999

FibroGen, Inc., (South San Francisco, CA; Tel: 650/886-7362, Website: www.fibrogen.com, Email: info@fibrogen.com) a privately- held biotechnology company, and its subsidiary FibroGen Europe, Ltd.

are collaborating with Zeneca LifeScience Molecules, a division of Zeneca Group PLC (15 Stanhope Gate, London W1Y6LN, UK; Tel: 0171 304 5000 or Tel: 212/648-3208), to begin manufacturing scaled up quantities of FibroGen's recombinant collagen. Zeneca will provide process development and scale-up expertise to the goal of commercializing FibroGen's multi-gene expression technology. "FibroGen's multi-gene system represents a major technological breakthrough and is the only known method of producing recombinant human and animal collagen that is stable at biologically relevant temperatures," says Thomas B. Neff, CEO of FibroGen. Collagen and gelatin, which is made from collagen, are used in medical, pharmaceutical and consumer markets. Collagen is a common component of such medical devices as hemostats sealants, implant coatings, artificial skin, dermal implants, and bulk treatments for incontinence. The market for collagen is about $300 million annually. Gelatin is used in capsule coatings, tablet bonding agents, vaccine stabilizers, infusion solutions, and implants. The current market for gelatin is about $1.3 billion. Recombinant versions of collagen and gelatin are less likely to induce inflammatory and allergic reactions from patients than current collagen products made directly from animal protein.