Pharming booked its first-ever quarterly profit in the first three months of this year, and now the Leiden-based, Amsterdam-listed concern has posted its first half ever net profit of €6.4m. The company made a loss of €30.2m in the year-earlier period.

‘We are delighted with the further progress we have made expanding the reach of Ruconest, allowing more patients to access the clinical benefits of our product,’ said chief exective Sijmen de Vries in a statement. 

‘We have continued net profitability in the second quarter of the year, which gives us the confidence and the financial resources to move forward with our new programmes.’

Pharming’s Rhucin drug is used to treat allergic swelling reactions. Rhucin is produced using milk of genetically modified rabbits and is approved in Europe to treat acute attacks in patients with a hereditary angioedema. The Dutch company is now developing sales channels in the US.