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Akcea Announces Approval for Reimbursement of TEGSEDI® (inotersen) in Austria for Treatment of Hereditary Transthyretin Amyloidosis with Polyneuropathy
TEGSEDI is the first antisense oligonucleotide medicine available to hATTR patients with polyneuropathy in Austria for at-home subcutaneous injection TEGSEDI
About this update from Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"TEGSEDI is the first antisense oligonucleotide medicine available to hATTR patients with polyneuropathy in Austria for at-home subcutaneous injection\n TEGSEDI is now commercially available in 15 countries\n\n\nBOSTON, July 22, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Akcea Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKCA), a majority-owned affiliate of Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., today announced that the Main Association of Austrian Social Security Institutions (Dachverband der Österreichischen Sozialversicherungsträger, or DV) has granted approval for the national reimbursement of TEGSEDI® (inotersen) for the treatment of stage 1 or stage 2 polyneuropathy in adult patients with hereditary transthyretin (hATTR) amyloidosis. \n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n\"We are pleased that after an in-depth assessment of TEGSEDI, the Main Association of Austrian Social Security Institutions sees the significant unmet medical need in hATTR amyloidosis and recognizes the demonstrated benefit of TEGSEDI for people living with this progressing and potentially fatal disease in Austria,\" said Michael Pollock, SVP, head of Europe at Akcea. \"This is a significant milestone for our team and we are excited to bring this much-needed treatment to eligible patients in Austria.\" \nhATTR amyloidosis is an under-recognized, debilitating and progressive disease that is caused by the buildup of transthyretin (TTR) proteins that misfold due to inherited genetic mutations. It is characterized by the deposition of amyloid fibrils throughout the body including in nervous tissue and can have a devastating impact on patients' quality of life. \nTEGSEDI is a once-weekly, at-home subcutaneous injection that targets the polyneuropathy of hATTR amyloidosis at its source by silencing the defective gene in these patients and reducing production of the abnormal TTR protein. It is the first antisense oligonucleotide medicine available for patients in Austria with hATTR amyloidosis with polyneuropathy and also the first treatment available that can be self-administered in the comfort of their own home. \n\"Many patients in Austria have been living with the progressive and devastating effects of this disease for years with limited treatment options, and I am pleased to now be able to offer them an additional option that has been extensively studied,\" said Professor Wolfgang Löscher, Department of Neurology, U...