Seeking a Best-in-Class Antibody at Bargain Basement Prices

Bird Rock Bio, a small, San Diego-based biotech, is planning to take aim at some of the biggest biologics on the market with an antibody in development to treat rheumatoid arthritis that it says it expects to market at an annual cost of just $2,000 a year. That compares to around $30,000 a year for drugs such as Humira, Remicade, and Enbrel that are TNF inhibitors. The experimental therapeutic known as Gerilimzumab targets IL-6. We spoke to Paul Grayson, president and CEO of Bird Rock Bio about the company, the benefits of targeting IL-6, and how the company expects to be able to offer the drug at such a disruptive price point.