Baltimore Business Journal - September 7, 2007
September 7, 2007
Osiris Therapeutics has hired an attorney with a Washington, D.C.-based lobbying firm to help the company market to the federal government a new drug that counters bioterrorism.
The Baltimore-based stem cell research company hired three attorneys with McKenna Long & Aldridge last month. The firm will work with Osiris on regulatory requirements and promoting the treatment to the U.S. military and other federal agencies interested in stockpiling the potential vaccine.
The firm may also assist Osiris in lobbying elected officials and government staff for federal funding, said John Clerici, the primary attorney working with Osiris who also is a registered lobbyist.
Osiris is developing a drug known as Prochymal, which is being used to treat an autoimmune disease in patients with bone marrow transplants. But the drug has also shown results in treating radiation sickness that may occur following a biological attack.
"We are seeking to develop a relationship with the government," said Randal Mills, Osiris' CEO. "The federal government is a major market."
Several Maryland biotech companies have targeted the federal government as their primary customer. In 2003, following the post-9/11 anthrax attacks, President Bush pushed for billions in federal funds to develop a range of vaccines and treatments against the lethal pathogens. Project Bioshield set aside $5.6 billion to fund drug development.
Last June, the federal government paid $165 million for an anthrax treatment developed by Human Genome Sciences, a Rockville-based biopharmaceutical firm.
Last year, PharmAthene, an Annapolis biotech firm, earned "orphan" drug status from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for one of its primary drug products. With the status, the company is eligible for tax credits, federal funding and reduced filing fees to help bring the drug into the market.