Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc. announced that the French regulatory authority has granted an Autorisation Temporaire d'Utilisation (ATU), or temporary authorization for use, for taliglucerase alfa for the treatment of Gaucher disease.

An ATU is the regulatory mechanism used by the French Health Products and Safety Agency to make non-approved drugs available to patients in France when a genuine public health need exists. This ATU allows patients with Gaucher disease in France to receive treatment with taliglucerase alfa before marketing authorization for the product is granted in the European Union. Payment for taliglucerase alfa has been secured through government allocations to hospitals.

"We are pleased to be able to provide taliglucerase alfa to Gaucher patients in France under the ATU programme," said Dr. David Aviezer, pPresident and chief executive officer of the company.

Gaucher disease, an inherited condition, is the most prevalent lysosomal storage disorder, with an incidence of about 1 in 20,000 live births. People with Gaucher disease do not have enough of an enzyme, beta-glucosidase (glucocerebrosidase), that breaks down a certain type of fat molecule. As a result, lipid engorged cells (called Gaucher cells) amass in different parts of the body, primarily the spleen, liver and bone marrow. Accumulation of Gaucher cells may cause spleen and liver enlargement, anaemia, excessive bleeding and bruising, bone disease and a number of other signs and symptoms.

Protalix is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of proprietary recombinant therapeutic proteins expressed through its proprietary plant cell based expression system.