Abraxis BioScience was a global

biopharmaceutical A biopharmaceutical, also known as a biological medical product, or biologic, is any pharmaceutical drug product manufactured in, extracted from, or semisynthesized from biological sources. Different from totally synthesized pharmaceuticals, t ...

, and nano-medicine company that developed treatments for critically ill patients. It had over 2000 employees worldwide in 2007. Abraxis's portfolio included the world's first protein-based

nanoparticle A nanoparticle or ultrafine particle is usually defined as a particle of matter that is between 1 and 100 nanometres (nm) in diameter. The term is sometimes used for larger particles, up to 500 nm, or fibers and tubes that are less than 10 ...

chemotherapeutic compound, called nab Technology. From this the company developed Abraxane, a treatment for

metastatic Metastasis is a pathogenic agent's spread from an initial or primary site to a different or secondary site within the host's body; the term is typically used when referring to metastasis by a cancerous tumor. The newly pathological sites, then, ...

breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or ...

. In 2010, Abraxis BioScience was acquired by Celgene Corporation.Celgene, 30 June 2010,
Celgene To Acquire Abraxis BioScience Inc.
(press release), 8/6/2015.

History

Abraxis was incorporated in 2001 in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

. It was formerly known as American Pharmaceutical Partners (APP), which as known for its injectable oncology, anti-infective and critical care. Besides cancer treatments, it provided treatment for

multiple sclerosis Multiple (cerebral) sclerosis (MS), also known as encephalomyelitis disseminata or disseminated sclerosis, is the most common demyelinating disease, in which the insulating covers of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged. This ...

Alzheimer's Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As t ...

, and some

cardiovascular diseases Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, ...

. It had manufacturing plants in

Melrose Park, Illinois Melrose Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is a suburb of Chicago. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 24,796. Melrose Park had long been home to a large Italian-American population. The suburb was the home o ...

and

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...

. By 2005, Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong merged American BioScience and the publicly-held APP, naming it Abraxis BioScience. Under this new name, seventy-four trials were undertaken to test Abraxane against various cancer targets. The drug, which was approved by the FDA in 2005, was the subject of a litigation (''Elan Pharma v. Abraxis BioScience'') for patent infringement. In 2008, Abraxis was ordered to pay $55.2 million to Elan. In August 2007, Abraxis announced it would again undergo a restructuring to separate its "hospital-based products business" from its "proprietary products business" into two public companies; this would involve the merging of Abraxis Oncology and Abraxis Research sub-units to form a new Abraxis Bioscience (Abraxis Bioscience, Inc., ), and the spinoff of Abraxis Pharmaceutical Products (APP, Inc., ). This reorganization was completed in November 2007. During the reorganization, the new Abraxis Bioscience was known briefly as New Abraxis. In 2010, Abraxis BioScience was acquired by Celgene Corporation. Per Celgene's website, as of at least 2016 Abraxis no longer exists as a named division within Celgene.

References

External links

Company website

Wayback Machine
Defunct biotechnology companies of the United States Defunct pharmaceutical companies of the United States Biotechnology companies established in 2001 Pharmaceutical companies established in 2001 2001 establishments in California Biotechnology companies disestablished in 2010 Pharmaceutical companies disestablished in 2010 2010 disestablishments in California Health care companies based in California 2010 mergers and acquisitions American companies disestablished in 2010 American companies established in 2001 {{med-company-stub