FDA approves Elaprase for Hunter syndrome

Pharmaceutical company Shire plc announced on Monday, July 24, 2006, that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved its drug Elaprase (idursulfase) for marketing. Elaprase is the first human enzyme replacement therapy for treatment of Hunter syndrome (MPS II), one of the mucopolysaccharidosis disorders. In its press release, Shire said it would launch the marketing of Elaprase in the United States within 30 days of its approval. The company said there are approximately 2,000 patients worldwide affected by Hunter syndrome, with 25 percent of those patients in the United States.