In 1981, Imre Corp. was founded in Seattle. The company developed the Prosorba Column, a plastic cylinder that containd highly purified protein A immobilized on an inert silica matrix. The protein A binded to and removed antibodies. In 1987, the FDA approved the Prosorba Column for use in Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura. In 1996, the company changed its name to Cypress Bioscience and moved to San Diego. In 1999, the Prosorba Column was approved by FDA for use in Rheumatoid Arthritis. The Prosorba Column went out of production in 2006. In 2010, Cypress Bioscience was acquired by Ramius and Royalty Pharma for approximately $255 million in Cash.