Fabry’s Drug Gets FDA Orphan Status

Large Scale Biology, a Vacaville company working to produce biotechnology drugs in tobacco plants, said the Food and Drug Administration designated its experimental treatment for Fabry’s disease as an orphan drug.

Orphan status allows Large Scale to apply for research grants and tax credits. If approved for sale, the medication could receive exclusive marketing rights in Fabry’s disease for seven years. The company expects to begin testing the drug in people later this year.

Two other biotechnology companies, Transkaryotic Therapies Inc. and Genzyme Corp., are ahead of Large Scale in developing an orphan drug treatment for Fabry’s, a rare disorder that causes fats to build up in the kidneys, resulting in organ failure.

Shares of Large Scale Biology rose 12 cents to 69 cents on Nasdaq.