Akcea Therapeutics Steps Up Commercialization Efforts In Europe

 
• By John Davis
  
Generate a summary of this article
Listen to this article
Beta

With one rare disease drug already available in Europe, and a second imminent, Akcea’s CEO outlined in a Scrip interview the European plans for this still-youthful US biotech.

Europe
Europe has to be approached as a series of individual countries for marketing purposes • Source: Shutterstock

The European commercialization efforts for Akcea Therapeutics Inc.’s second antisense product, Waylivra (volanesorsen), discovered by Ionis Pharmaceuticals and co-developed by the two firms, will build on the infrastructure the US-headquartered Akcea has put in place over the past year for its first antisense product, Tegsedi (inotersen, licensed from Ionis), which is just starting to garner its first sales in the region.

Tegsedi was cleared for marketing in the EU by the European Commission in July 2018 for the treatment of Stage...

Scrip Podcast

Keep up with the top pharma business news of the week. On the go.

Scrip brings you a weekly bulletin of top picks.

SpotifyApple PodcastsWebsite

More from Rare Diseases

India Rare Diseases: Court Shows Path For Policy Action, Funding, Price Issues-- Test-2

A court order encompassing funding, drug pricing, clinical trials and overall policy implementation aspects is expected to bring about a paradigm shift in the treatment of rare diseases in India. Sarepta, Roche and Sanofi are among the key players that have been part of pricing discussions.

Merck’s Winrevair Approved For PAH In Europe As Initial US Launch Progresses

 
• By Mandy Jackson

Merck & Co. won European Commission approval for Winrevair on top of other medicines for pulmonary arterial hypertension and expects an initial EU launch in Germany.

BioMarin Recruits Amgen R&D’s Friberg, Roche Dealmaker Sabry To Leadership Team

 
• By Mandy Jackson

The company, in its new profitable era, is bringing in new leadership, with Amgen VP of medical affairs for rare diseases Greg Friberg and recently retired Roche Partnering head James Sabry.

Gene Therapy Patient Pipeline Builds, But Slowly, In Q2

 
• By Jessica Merrill

Bluebird, Vertex and Sarepta are starting to see some commercial gene therapy traction and expect momentum to pick up in the second half, while hemophilia remains a challenging area. 

More from Scrip

EHA: Lilly’s Jaypirca Posts First Phase III Triplet Win In CLL While BTK Degraders Advance

Lilly's first Phase III triplet win opens the door to a label expansion in BTK-pretreated CLL, with analysts suggesting Jaypica could attain blockbuster status. However, the window to capitalize may be brief as next-generation BTK degraders close in with head-to-head trials.

EHA: Lilly’s Jaypirca Posts First Phase III Triplet Win In CLL While BTK Degraders Advance - Clone

Lilly's first Phase III triplet win opens the door to a label expansion in BTK-pretreated CLL, with analysts suggesting Jaypica could attain blockbuster status. However, the window to capitalize may be brief as next-generation BTK degraders close in with head-to-head trials.