OREANDA-NEWS. Shire plc (LSE: SHP, NASDAQ: SHPG), the global biotechnology leader in rare diseases, announced today that the European Commission (EC) has granted Marketing Authorization for ADYNOVI [Antihemophilic Factor (Recombinant), PEGylated], an extended half-life recombinant factor VIII (rFVIII) treatment, for on-demand and prophylactic use in patients 12 years and older living with hemophilia A. ADYNOVI is modified to last longer in the blood and potentially require less frequent injections than unmodified Antihemophilic Factor when used to reduce the frequency of bleeding. It is built on ADVATE® [Antihemophilic Factor (Recombinant)], a treatment used by hemophilia A patients worldwide for almost 15 years. ADYNOVI’s proprietary PEGylation technology, exclusively licensed from Nektar Therapeutics, extends the time between treatments and offers a twice-weekly dosing schedule.

“The European approval of ADYNOVI is an important milestone in our continued commitment to provide new treatment options for patients living with hemophilia A,” said Dr. Peter Foertig, MD, Global Head Hematology Medical Affairs, Shire. “We believe that the twice-weekly prophylactic dosing, as well as the on-demand control of bleeding, offered by ADYNOVI will bring us closer to our goal of improving and personalizing disease management for hemophilia A patients in Europe.”

The Marketing Authorization is based on outcomes from three Phase 3 clinical trials of patients with hemophilia A. These include a prospective, global, multi-center, open label, non-randomized study of patients 12 to 65 years of age; a prospective, uncontrolled, open label, multi-center study of patients 12 years of age and younger; and a study of perioperative control of hemostasis with interim study results from 15 patients with severe hemophilia A undergoing surgical procedures.

Hemophilia A, designated an orphan disease by the EC, is a rare bleeding disorder that causes longer-than-normal bleeding due to lack of proper clotting factor VIII (FVIII) in the blood. The severity of hemophilia A is determined by the amount of factor in the blood, with more severity associated with lower amounts of factor. More than half of patients with hemophilia A have the severe form of the condition. Today, hemophilia A affects approximately 150,000 across the globe. It primarily affects males, with an incidence of one in 5,000 male births. Of the worldwide hemophilia patient population, an estimated 75 percent lack adequate treatment or access to treatment altogether. With this approval, Shire is now authorized to market ADYNOVI in the 28 Member States of the European Union (EU), as well as in Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.

ADYNOVI was first approved as ADYNOVATE® [Antihemophilic Factor (Recombinant), PEGylated] by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the U.S. followed by approval in Japan, Canada, and Colombia, and is approved as ADYNOVI in Switzerland. ADYNOVATE most recently received approval in Japan for use in hemophilia A pediatric patients under 12 years of age and those undergoing surgery in November 2017.

 

Shire is the global leader in serving patients with rare diseases. We strive to develop best-in-class therapies across a core of rare disease areas including hematology, immunology, genetic diseases, neuroscience, and internal medicine with growing therapeutic areas in ophthalmics and oncology. Our diversified capabilities enable us to reach patients in more than 100 countries who are struggling to live their lives to the fullest.

We feel a strong sense of urgency to address unmet medical needs and work tirelessly to improve people’s lives with medicines that have a meaningful impact on patients and all who support them on their journey.