Cambrex Corporation's subsidiary Cambrex Bio Science Hopkinton, Inc. has entered into a contract for the production of clinical trial quantities of Merrimack Pharmaceuticals' ("Merrimack") lead product MM-093, a recombinant version of human alpha-fetoprotein (hAFP). The material is expected to be used in Merrimack's ongoing research to assess the potential of MM-093 to treat multiple autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, psoriasis and others.

Merrimack Pharmaceuticals is currently conducting phase 2 trials of MM-093 in patients with rheumatoid arthritis or with psoriasis. MM-093 is a recombinant version of hAFP; an immunomodulatory serum protein normally produced at very high levels by a fetus but present in lower levels in the blood of adults and children. The presence of hAFP in a pregnant mother's blood has long been associated with remission of many autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and multiple sclerosis during the third trimester of pregnancy.

Cambrex has completed several batches of MM-093 and is in the process of completing the production run.

"We believe that the quality manufacturing expertise that Cambrex offers will help us to efficiently and effectively move our lead product, MM-093, to commercialization," said Fazal Khan, VP of manufacturing at Merrimack Pharmaceuticals.

"Our experience with the purification of proteins from transgenic milk was certainly an advantage in successfully manufacturing Merrimack's MM-093," commented Anthony Rotunno, VP and GM, Cambrex Bio Science Hopkinton, Inc. "We were honored that Merrimack placed the cGMP manufacture of their lead product in our hands as they progress MM-093 into future clinical trials," he added.