Shares of Human Genome Sciences' rose more than 5 percent Friday after it announced the beginning of clinical trials of BLyS, following approval from the Food and Drug Administration.
Affected individuals suffer from multiple bouts of pneumonia, bronchitis, and other infections.
Patients suffering from CVID require life-long treatment with antibodies to protect against recurrent infection. BLyS, a naturally occurring protein made by the body, stimulates the production of antibodies. Antibodies recognize foreign substances and help defend the body against infection by viruses and bacteria. The hope is that by providing BLyS to these patients, they will be able to produce their own antibodies and fight infections themselves. The clinical trials come one year after the news of the protein's discovery was published last July in Science magazine.