Idec Pharmaceuticals Inc. said last week that it received FDAapproval to start clinical testing of the Specifid antibodies thatthe company intends to use in a commercial therapeuticproduct for treating cancer.

Idec (NASDAQ:IDPH) is already conducting human clinical trialsof an Idec-made Specifid antibodies in a treatment for non-Hodgkin's B-cell lymphoma. "For marketing approval andcommercialization, we plan to use material manufactured byour European partner, Boehringer Ingelheim International,"said William H. Rastetter, Idec's president and chief executiveofficer.

The San Diego company expects to soon start a pivotal PhaseIII study of its therapeutic against B-cell lymphoma using theSpecifid antibody supplied by Boehringer, which hasmanufactured 14 antibodies for Idec.

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