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Feasibility Study for Bedside Production of Recombinant Human Acid α-Glucosidase: Technical and Financial
Mohammed H Aldosari1, Marcel den Hartog2, Hubertina Ganizada1
1Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands.
Objective:
The high cost of orphan drugs limits their access by many patients, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Many orphan drugs are off-patent without alternative generic or biosimilar versions available. Production of these drugs at the point-of-care, when feasible, could be a cost-effective alternative.
Methods:
The financial feasibility of this approach was estimated by setting up a small-scale production of recombinant human acid alpha-glucosidase (rhGAA). The commercial version of rhGAA is Myozyme™, and Lumizyme™ in the United States, which is used to treat Pompe disease. The rhGAA was produced in CHO-K1 mammalian cells and purified using multiple purification steps to obtain a protein profile comparable to Myozyme™.
Results:
The established small-scale production of rhGAA was used to obtain a realistic cost estimation for the magistral production of this biological drug. The treatment cost of rhGAA using bedside production was estimated at $3,484/gram, which is 71% lower than the commercial price of Myozyme ™.
Conclusion:
This study shows that bedside production might be a cost-effective approach to increase the access of patients to particular life-saving drugs.
