Company selects NewBridge Pharmaceuticals as regional distributor in Gulf Cooperation Council
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., Sept. 09, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: BCRX) today announced that the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP) in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has granted marketing authorization for oral, once-daily ORLADEYO® (berotralstat) for the prevention of recurrent attacks in patients with hereditary angioedema (HAE) 12 years and older. To support commercialization efforts in the UAE, BioCryst has entered into a supply and distribution agreement with NewBridge Pharmaceuticals (NewBridge), which also covers the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Iraq.
“As the first targeted oral, once-daily treatment, ORLADEYO provides an important new treatment option for patients and physicians,” said Henrik Balle Boysen, executive vice president and chief operating officer of HAE International, a global non-profit network of patient associations dedicated to improving the lives of people with HAE. “While there is still more work to be done to raise awareness to support earlier diagnosis and treatment, the approval of ORLADEYO is an important advancement for HAE patients in the UAE.”
“With many prevalent rare diseases in the MENA region, I am personally inspired, and we at NewBridge are proud, to be part of this partnership with BioCryst for the UAE and a number of other markets in the GCC. This partnership supports our mission by providing access to an important new therapy for HAE patients in a hope that we can help ease their suffering and support them to live better lives,” said Joe Henein, president and chief executive officer of NewBridge Pharma.
“NewBridge is the right partner for BioCryst as they share our vision to bring innovative medicines to patients living with rare diseases,” said Charlie Gayer, chief commercial officer of BioCryst. “With experience across regulatory, medical and commercial, and strong local relationships with key stakeholders, NewBridge will help accelerate our efforts to bring ORLADEYO to patients across the globe by providing a much-needed new option to HAE patients in the UAE.”
NewBridge Pharmaceuticals, headquartered in Dubai, UAE, is a regional specialty company with a comprehensive pharmaceutical platform of services and expertise, established to bridge the access gap and partner with global pharma and biotech companies to in-license and commercialize U.S. Food and Drug Administration or European Medicines Agency approved innovative therapeutics that address unmet medical needs into the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) regions.
About ORLADEYO® (berotralstat)
ORLADEYO® (berotralstat) is the first and only oral therapy designed specifically to prevent attacks of hereditary angioedema (HAE) in adult and pediatric patients 12 years and older. One capsule of ORLADEYO per day works to prevent HAE attacks by decreasing the activity of plasma kallikrein.
U.S. Indication and Important Safety Information
INDICATIONORLADEYO® (berotralstat) is a plasma kallikrein inhibitor indicated for prophylaxis to prevent attacks of hereditary angioedema (HAE) in adults and pediatric patients 12 years and older.
Limitations of useThe safety and effectiveness of ORLADEYO for the treatment of acute HAE attacks have not been established. ORLADEYO should not be used for the treatment of acute HAE attacks. Additional doses or dosages of ORLADEYO higher than 150 mg once daily are not recommended due to the potential for QT prolongation.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATIONAn increase in QT prolongation was observed at dosages higher than the recommended 150 mg once-daily dosage and was concentration dependent.
The most common adverse reactions (≥10% and higher than placebo) in patients receiving ORLADEYO were abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, back pain, and gastroesophageal reflux disease.
A reduced dosage of 110 mg taken orally once daily with food is recommended in patients with moderate or severe hepatic impairment (Child-Pugh B or C) and in patients taking chronically administered P-glycoprotein (P-gp) or breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP) inhibitors (eg, cyclosporine).
Berotralstat is a substrate of P-gp and BCRP. P-gp inducers (eg, rifampin, St. John’s wort) may decrease berotralstat plasma concentration, leading to reduced efficacy of ORLADEYO. The use of P-gp inducers is not recommended with ORLADEYO.
ORLADEYO at a dose of 150 mg is a moderate inhibitor of CYP2D6 and CYP3A4. For concomitant medications with a narrow therapeutic index that are predominantly metabolized by CYP2D6 or CYP3A4, appropriate monitoring and dose titration is recommended. ORLADEYO at a dose of 300 mg is a P-gp inhibitor. Appropriate monitoring and dose titration is recommended for P-gp substrates (eg, digoxin) when coadministering with ORLADEYO.
The safety and effectiveness of ORLADEYO in pediatric patients