Genzyme resumed production of Cerezyme, its drug for Gaucher’s disease , after contamination problems forced the company to stop manufacturing the drug for a month. The company discarded 80% of the stored production materials — more than it initially thought it would — just to be safe, according to the Boston Globe . New supplies of the drug won’t be available until November. The fallout from Genzyme’s recent manufacturing glitch is a reminder of just how complicated it is to make biotech drugs, which are typically created by living cells, and how far-reaching the

consequences can be when something goes wrong. The company issued guidelines recommending that lower risk patients get less frequent doses so that more of the drug will be available for patients under 19 and those who are more severely ill patients. The company also said yesterday it was taking a charge of $8.4 million and expects 2009 revenue to be at the low end of its forecast, which was expected between $4.6 billion to $5 billion. Photo: Associated Press

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Genzyme Resumes Production, But Patients Still Waiting