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MassBio Member Company News
News from the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council's Member Companies

• Shire HGT Wins Gold in Fifth Annual Team Massachusetts Economic Impact Award
  Shire Human Genetic Therapies (HGT) today was recognized by the Massachusetts Alliance for Economic Development as a gold medal winner at MAED's Fifth Annual Team Massachusetts Economic Impact Awards.
  
  The winning companies were selected based on their attributes in the categories of job growth, facility expansion, investment, and community involvement since January 1, 2007.
  
  Jerry Sargent, Executive Vice President from Citizens Bank and Alliance Chair said, "The Team Massachusetts Economic Impact Awards allows us to honor companies not only at a state level, but those that are making waves worldwide. The winning companies all strengthen the bedrock of the Commonwealth as a prominent location for businesses' expansion."
  
  Shire HGT was selected by MAED for its decision to invest $394 million to expand the company's Lexington campus, making it the global center for Shire HGT's research, development and production. The decision to expand in Massachusetts will result in the retention of 825 existing full-time employees and the creation of an estimated 680 full-time jobs over eight years, 200 of which have already been hired this year.
  
  "We are honored to receive this award," said Sylvie Grégoire, President of Shire HGT. "Shire has made a commitment to Lexington and to the Commonwealth, and to have our efforts and hard work recognized in this way is very gratifying for our company and our employees."
  
  Grégoire continued, "We are committed to a long-term partnership between Shire HGT, Lexington and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts that will expand jobs, spur further economic development, and allow our company to continue to develop and produce complex therapies for those in need around the globe."
  
  Governor Deval Patrick delivered the keynote address at the awards luncheon. This is the only event of its kind in Massachusetts, honoring a select group of companies from across the Commonwealth who were recognized for their outstanding contributions to the Massachusetts economy. More than 450 guests attended the event.
  
  The Massachusetts Alliance for Economic Development is a private, non-profit partnership of business, industry leaders, and government dedicated to fostering economic growth in the Commonwealth.
  
  Shire HGT specializes in discovering, developing and commercializing therapies for the treatment of genetic and rare diseases. The company was established in 2005 through the acquisition of Cambridge MA - based Transkaryotic Therapies. Shire HGT has a robust pipeline of products, and has launched ELAPRASE for the treatment of Hunter syndrome in the U.S., Europe, and Canada, among other regions. In addition, REPLAGAL, for the treatment of Fabry disease, which is available in Europe and other regions outside of the US, continues to perform well, and FIRAZYR, for the treatment of Hereditary Angioedema (HAE) was launched this Fall in Europe.
  
  SHIRE PLC Shire's strategic goal is to become the leading specialty biopharmaceutical company that focuses on meeting the needs of the specialist physician. Shire focuses its business on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), human genetic therapies (HGT) and gastrointestinal (GI) diseases as well as opportunities in other therapeutic areas to the extent they arise through acquisitions. Shire's in-licensing, merger and acquisition efforts are focused on products in specialist markets with strong intellectual property protection and global rights. Shire believes that a carefully selected and balanced portfolio of products with strategically aligned and relatively small-scale sales forces will deliver strong results.
  
  For further information on Shire, please visit the Company's website: www.shire.com.
  
  
  "SAFE HARBOR" STATEMENT UNDER THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995
  Statements included herein that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties and are subject to change at any time. In the event such risks or uncertainties materialize, the Company's results could be materially affected. The risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, risks associated with: the inherent uncertainty of pharmaceutical research, product development, manufacturing and commercialization including, but not limited to, the establishment in the market of VYVANSE(TM) (lisdexamfetamine dimesylate) (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ("ADHD")); the impact of competitive products, including, but not limited to, the impact of those on the Company's ADHD franchise; patents, including but not limited to, legal challenges relating to the Company's ADHD franchise; government regulation and approval, including but not limited to the expected product approval date of INTUNIV(TM) (guanfacine extended release) (ADHD); the Company's ability to secure new products for commercialization and/or development; the Company's proposed offer for Jerini AG, including but not limited to, the Company's ability to successfully complete the offer and integrate Jerini AG, as well as realize the anticipated benefits of the acquisition; and other risks and uncertainties detailed from time to time in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007.
• Toxikon Corporation celebrates success of recent expansion
  Life sciences testing lab Toxikon Corporation celebrated the expansion of its corporate headquarters by an additional 12,000 square feet with an informal celebration among staff Sept. 24.
  
  A smiling Dr. Laxman Desai, Toxikon's CEO, attended the event, bringing well wishes and a pocketful of anecdotes of his 30-plus years in the industry.
  
  Toxikon formerly sublet the space, located at 25 Wiggins Avenue in Bedford, Mass., to SunOpta Ingredients. This expansion is one of several that have taken place over the last two years at the Bedford location, as well as the Toxikon Europe N.V. site in Leuven, Belgium.
  
  Toxikon plans to expand project management, quality assurance and regulatory support, as well increase the amount of laboratory suites for specialized services, including surgical, PK/TK and ocular programs.
  
  "Industry demands for preclinical and clinical outsourcing services have fueled our growth," said Nancy DiGiulio, Toxikon's vice president of operations. "We expect to bring our Bedford campus and Belgian operations, which have been built out over the past two years, to full capacity within the next two to three years."
  
  DiGiulio added that the company's capacity-based business model is targeted to double the headcount at each site, which would create approximately 150 jobs between the two locations.
  
  About the company Toxikon Corporation is a contract research organization that performs non-clinical safety testing services for the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries, as well as academic research centers. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.toxikon.com.
• Toxikon Corporation launches monthly Webinar series
  The launch of Toxikon's Webinar series on Nov. 13 proved to be a huge success, with 80 attendees logging in to listen to the live, online presentation.
  
  Webinar audience members could log on to the live seminar from their desktop and listen to the speaker, either with computer headphones or a telephone connection, while viewing the presentation.
  
  The Webinars are designed for medical device professionals in research and development, quality assurance, regulatory affairs and product engineering to learn about the latest industry trends for safety assessments.
  
  Extractables and Leachables Program Director Stephen Doherty, PhD., hosted the first hour-long Webinar on Nov. 13. His presentation will be soon available for download on the company's Web site at http://www.toxikon.com.
  
  Dr. Doherty's presentation covered strategies for proper design and execution of an extractables and leachables qualification program for disposable components such as gaskets, containers, closures and filters to avoid potential downstream contamination.
  
  Director of Biocompatibility Services Laurence Lister will host an additional Webinar event on Dec. 10 at 4 p.m., where he will review implications of the update to ISO 10993-10. Substantial changes suggested in the ISO 10993-10 guidance document for irritation and delayed-type hypersensitivity testing could render current testing methods non-compliant with future guidelines. The implications of these proposed changes will be discussed in depth during this hour-long event.
  
  For more information about the Webinar series, or to register, go to http://www.toxikon.com/news-events-webinars.htm or contact Joann Hoxha at (800) 458-4141.
  
  About the company Toxikon Corporation is a contract research organization that performs non-clinical safety testing services for the pharmaceutical