Abraxis BioScience
Abraxis BioScience was a U.S. biopharmaceutical and nanomedicine company best known for developing Abraxane before its acquisition by Celgene in 2010.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Abraxis BioScience was a U.S.-based biopharmaceutical and nanomedicine company whose principal focus was oncology and specialized drug-delivery technologies. The business originated in the operations of American Pharmaceutical Partners, a company known for injectable oncology, anti-infective, hospital, and critical-care products. It was incorporated in Los Angeles in 2001 and was associated with pharmaceutical entrepreneur and physician Patrick Soon-Shiong. In 2005, Soon-Shiong combined American BioScience with the publicly traded American Pharmaceutical Partners, creating the Abraxis BioScience identity. The company’s defining technological platform was nab Technology, a protein-based nanoparticle delivery approach intended to formulate medicines with albumin rather than relying on conventional solvent systems. Abraxis used this platform to develop Abraxane, an albumin-bound nanoparticle formulation of paclitaxel. The product became the company’s best-known commercial asset and was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2005 for metastatic breast cancer. Abraxis subsequently sponsored or participated in numerous clinical studies examining Abraxane in additional cancer settings and against different tumor targets. Although oncology was its strategic center, the company’s predecessor and related operations had a broader healthcare portfolio. These activities included injectable medicines for hospitals, anti-infective products, critical-care treatments, and selected therapies associated with multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, and cardiovascular conditions. Manufacturing operations were reported in Melrose Park, Illinois, and Phoenix, Arizona. The company described itself as a global biopharmaceutical enterprise and had more than 2,000 employees worldwide in 2007, although the corporate structure changed substantially during that period. In 2007, Abraxis announced a reorganization intended to separate its hospital-based products business from its proprietary-products business. The reorganization created a newly structured public Abraxis BioScience, briefly referred to as New Abraxis, while the hospital and pharmaceutical-products activities were spun off into APP, Inc. The restructuring was completed in November 2007, leaving Abraxis BioScience centered more clearly on proprietary oncology products and research. Abraxis was acquired by Celgene Corporation in 2010. The transaction transferred Abraxane and the company’s associated development capabilities into Celgene’s oncology portfolio. Following the acquisition, Abraxis no longer operated as an independent publicly traded company, and Celgene later indicated that Abraxis was no longer maintained as a named division. Celgene was itself acquired by Bristol Myers Squibb in 2019. Abraxis BioScience is therefore best understood as a historical corporate brand whose principal legacy is Abraxane and the commercialization of albumin-bound nanoparticle drug delivery in oncology.
History
Abraxis BioScience was formed from a sequence of corporate and operating-business changes involving American Pharmaceutical Partners and American BioScience. The business was incorporated in Los Angeles in 2001. Its predecessor operations were associated with injectable oncology products, anti-infective medicines, and critical-care pharmaceuticals used in hospital settings. Manufacturing facilities were reported in Melrose Park, Illinois, and Phoenix, Arizona. The broader predecessor portfolio also included products connected with multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease, and cardiovascular care. In 2005, Patrick Soon-Shiong merged American BioScience with the publicly held American Pharmaceutical Partners. The resulting enterprise adopted the Abraxis BioScience identity and emphasized proprietary drug development alongside its established pharmaceutical-products operations. Its strategic direction increasingly centered on oncology and on nab Technology, a protein-based nanoparticle platform intended to improve the delivery of active pharmaceutical ingredients. The platform’s leading product was Abraxane, an albumin-bound nanoparticle formulation of paclitaxel. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Abraxane in 2005 for metastatic breast cancer. The product became the company’s signature commercial asset, while Abraxis pursued a broad clinical-development program testing it in additional cancer types and treatment combinations. The company reported more than 2,000 employees worldwide in 2007 and described its activities as global biopharmaceutical and nanomedicine operations. The corporate structure changed again in 2007. Abraxis announced a plan to separate its hospital-based products business from its proprietary-products business into two public companies. The proprietary research and oncology activities were consolidated under a newly structured Abraxis BioScience, which was briefly known as New Abraxis during the transition. The hospital and pharmaceutical-products activities were separated into APP, Inc. The reorganization was completed in November 2007 and sharpened Abraxis BioScience’s identity as a proprietary oncology company. Abraxane was also involved in patent litigation. In Elan Pharma v. Abraxis BioScience, a 2008 judgment required Abraxis to pay Elan $55.2 million. This legal dispute was distinct from the company’s broader commercial development of Abraxane and its nanoparticle-delivery platform. In 2010, Celgene Corporation acquired Abraxis BioScience. The transaction brought Abraxane and the company’s oncology assets into Celgene’s portfolio and ended Abraxis’s existence as an independent publicly traded enterprise. Celgene later stated that Abraxis was no longer present as a named division. Celgene was acquired by Bristol Myers Squibb in 2019, but that later transaction did not revive Abraxis as a standalone company. The brand is consequently remembered primarily through Abraxane, nab Technology, and the development of specialty oncology medicines.
- 2010
Acquired by Celgene
[1]Celgene acquired Abraxis BioScience, ending its independent corporate existence and taking control of Abraxane and related assets.
- 2008
Patent judgment in Elan litigation
[1]Abraxis was ordered to pay Elan Pharma $55.2 million in patent litigation concerning Abraxane.
- 2007
Corporate separation announced
[1]Abraxis announced a plan to separate hospital-based products from proprietary products and research.
- 2007
Reorganization completed
[1]The reorganization was completed in November, creating a more focused Abraxis BioScience and separating APP, Inc. for pharmaceutical-products activities.
- 2005
American BioScience and American Pharmaceutical Partners combined
[1]Patrick Soon-Shiong merged American BioScience with publicly held American Pharmaceutical Partners, leading to the Abraxis BioScience identity.
- 2005
FDA approves Abraxane
[1]Abraxane received U.S. approval for metastatic breast cancer, establishing the company’s principal commercial oncology product.
- 2001
Abraxis predecessor incorporated
[1]The business that became Abraxis BioScience was incorporated in Los Angeles and developed from American Pharmaceutical Partners and related pharmaceutical operations.
Products and positioning
A specialty biopharmaceutical company focused on oncology, injectable medicines, and protein-based nanoparticle drug delivery.
Oncology medicine · 2005
Abraxane
Abraxane is an albumin-bound nanoparticle formulation of paclitaxel. It was developed using Abraxis’s nab Technology and became the company’s leading commercial product. The U.S. FDA approved it in 2005 for metastatic breast cancer, after which the company studied it across additional cancer indications and treatment settings. Abraxane was transferred to Celgene in the 2010 acquisition and remained part of Celgene’s oncology portfolio.
Drug-delivery platform
nab Technology
nab Technology was Abraxis’s protein-based nanoparticle drug-delivery platform. It used albumin-associated particles to formulate certain medicines, with the aim of providing an alternative delivery approach for oncology compounds. The platform was most visibly commercialized through Abraxane and formed a central part of Abraxis’s scientific and corporate positioning.
Brand decisions
2010
Celgene acquisitionM&ABackground
Celgene sought to expand its oncology portfolio, while Abraxis owned Abraxane and the associated nanoparticle drug-delivery capabilities.
Action taken
Celgene acquired Abraxis BioScience and integrated its products and development assets into Celgene’s oncology business.
Aftermath
Abraxis ceased operating as an independent public company. Abraxane continued under Celgene ownership, and Abraxis was later no longer maintained as a named Celgene division.
2007
Separate hospital products from proprietary oncology operationsStrategyBackground
Abraxis operated both hospital-oriented pharmaceutical businesses and proprietary drug-development activities. Management sought to separate these activities into distinct public-company structures.
Action taken
The company reorganized Abraxis Oncology and Abraxis Research into a newly structured Abraxis BioScience and separated Abraxis Pharmaceutical Products as APP, Inc.
Aftermath
The reorganization was completed in November 2007 and left Abraxis BioScience more focused on proprietary products and oncology research.
Recent events
- 2010
Celgene acquires Abraxis BioScience[1]
M&A
Celgene acquired Abraxis BioScience, obtaining Abraxane and the company’s oncology-focused technology and development assets. Abraxis ceased operating as an independent public company.
- 2008
Elan Pharma patent dispute results in judgment against Abraxis BioScience[1]
Lawsuit
In litigation concerning Abraxane-related patent rights, Abraxis was ordered to pay Elan Pharma $55.2 million. The case is commonly identified as Elan Pharma v. Abraxis BioScience.
- 2007
Abraxis BioScience reorganizes its hospital and proprietary-products businesses[1]
Other
Abraxis announced a restructuring designed to separate its hospital-based products business from its proprietary-products business. The reorganization created a newly structured Abraxis BioScience and separated APP, Inc. as the vehicle for pharmaceutical-products operations.
Sources1 sources
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