Brentwood Firm Sinks Teeth into Anti-Venom Line
Published Apr 08, 2003
Under the guidance of its president, Saul Komisar, Protherics has made a name for itself with CroFab, its anti-venom product.
Most people will gladly go out of their way to avoid any type of snake.
However, for military personnel, zookeepers or outdoorsmen, the dangers of poisonous snakes are an everyday occurrence. Fast, accurate treatment can mean life or death.
In 2001, Protherics debuted a breakthrough drug that is the first new product in decades to counteract the potentially deadly bites of poisonous snakes.
“We identified a need for an anti-venom in a market where the last new product was introduced more than 40 years ago,” says Saul Komisar, president of Protherics. “The competition is limited, and the need was strong. We felt that we could launch a product with an excellent safety profile, and that has proven to be the case.”
Protherics, known worldwide for a variety of novel vaccines, is a biopharmaceutical business with an immunotherapy focus. It has a research and development pipeline as well as a commercial sales division. The company began four years ago as a result of a merger between Proteus International PLC and Therapeutic Antibodies Inc. Internationally, its headquarters is in the United Kingdom. Its Brentwood facility is the home for its U.S. operations.
“Tennessee is a good area for biotechnology,” Komisar says. “Our employees focus on commercialization of our products and the regulatory process with the Food and Drug Administration.”
In fact, the Protherics team maneuvers through the FDA approval system so well that it received a second approval for a separate product within one year of CroFab’s acceptance. In addition to other products already on the market, the company also has several in the research and clinical trial stages.
Story by Sharyn Matthews
Photo by Harrison McClary
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