Crucell in a partnership with DSM have announced that production of monoclonal antibodies has reached 10g/L (grams per liter) of cell culture, using the PER.C6 platform to produce the yields. Current standard methods yield monoclonal antibodies around 1-2g/L. This order of magnitude increase in yield could help lower the cost for producing the current monoclonal antibodies used in treatments for cancer today. The price of drugs has soared for cancer treatment and the monoclonal antibodyterm is no exception. Herceptin costs around $3,000 a month, Avastinterm is at $4,400, Erbituxterm costs around $10,000 a month, and Rituxanterm can range from $4,200 to $13,000 a month depending on treatment. A great article on recent drug costs can be found here on the USA Today site.