UK Firm Expands To Marlborough | Awaits FDA approval for new TB test
A United Kingdom company awaiting federal approval of a new blood test for tuberculosis has opened an office in Marlborough.
Oxford Immunotec Ltd., a spin off from Oxford University in England, has developed a blood test that measures T cells, which help make antibodies. The presence of certain T-cells, in this case “effector T-cells,” is a true indicator of a person’s current TB infection status, according to Dr. Peter Wrighton-Smith, the company’s CEO.
Application Status
In early 2007, the company applied to the federal Food and Drug Administration to market and sell its product, called T-SPOT TB. It hopes to receive approval within the next few weeks, said Wrighton-Smith. The test can be done with existing equipment in diagnostic labs, he said.
“The biggest market is the U.S., which has been much braver than the rest of the world,” he said, adding that the United States has a big early-warning detection system with health care workers, new immigrants and elderly nursing home residents, among others, all tested for TB.
Last fall the company raised $40 million in venture capital to prepare for the American launch, bringing its total venture capital to $60 million over its six-year span in business.
In the meantime it has opened an office at 2 Mount Royal Ave. in Marlborough in preparation for a U.S. launch, with 15 people there, compared to five in the U.K. They are sales, marketing and regulatory staff.
“We wanted to put down roots here because expanding into the U.S. is our strategic destiny and we wanted to control that destiny ourselves,” said Wrighton-Smith.
Marlborough was very attractive because it’s near the Massachusetts Turnpike and Interstate 495, making it easily accessible to Boston and other communities.
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