Earlier this year, Alexion also made the confusing acquisition of Portola Pharmaceuticals and its poorly performing lead drug Andexxa for $1.4 billion.Īlexion probably overpaid for Andexxa, a drug hospitals keep on hand to reverse the effects of popular blood thinner medications in emergency situations. Over the years, Alexion has used enormous cash flows from Soliris to build a disappointing pipeline of clinical-stage assets that aren't going anywhere fast. ![]() Phase 3 trials currently underway could expand Ultomiris to all of the same patients as Soliris over the next couple of years. In October, the Food and Drug Administration approved Ultomiris to treat atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS), which is the second of four indications that Soliris is currently approved to treat. Within 18 months of launching as a new option for paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH), around 70% of these patients switched to Ultomiris. Soliris requires infusions every two weeks, while Ultomiris only requires patients to visit a care provider and sit for an infusion once every eight weeks. While the patient populations are small, annual maintenance doses that cost $458,000 make it one of the most expensive treatments around. ![]() Unfortunately, unrestrained complement system activity is at the root of many severe conditions, and an increasing number of underserved patient populations rely on treatment with Alexion's lead drugs Soliris, and a more recently launched version called Ultomiris. If biology isn't really your thing, an overactive complement system might not sound like a life-threatening problem.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |