BioCryst Submits Marketing Authorization Application for UK Approval of ORLADEYO™ (berotralstat), an Oral, Once-daily Therapy to Prevent Attacks in Patients with Hereditary Angioedema

Rhea-AI Summary

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals (BCRX) has submitted a marketing authorization application (MAA) to the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency for ORLADEYO™ (berotralstat), aimed at preventing recurrent hereditary angioedema (HAE) attacks in patients aged 12 and older. This submission follows a positive opinion from the European Medicines Agency's CHMP. If approved, ORLADEYO will be the first oral, once-daily therapy for HAE in the UK. The drug is already approved in the U.S. and Japan, with expectations for a decision from the European Commission in Q2 2021.

Positive

• Submission of MAA for ORLADEYO in the UK aimed at recurrent HAE attacks.
• Positive opinion received from EMA's CHMP enhances approval prospects.
• ORLADEYO would be the first oral therapy for HAE in the UK.

Negative

• Regulatory timelines are uncertain, affecting market entry.
• Potential competition from other therapies in the pipeline.

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., March 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: BCRX) today announced that the company has submitted a marketing authorization application (MAA) to the United Kingdom’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) seeking approval of ORLADEYO^™ (berotralstat) for the prevention of recurrent hereditary angioedema (HAE) attacks in HAE patients 12 years and older. The MAA was submitted under the MHRA’s new European Commission Decision Reliance Procedure (ECDRP).

On February 25, 2021, BioCryst announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) had adopted a positive opinion recommending the approval of ORLADEYO for routine prevention of recurrent attacks of HAE in adult and adolescent patients aged 12 years and older. The European Commission (EC) will review the CHMP recommendation and a final approval decision from the EC on the marketing authorization application for ORLADEYO is expected in the second quarter.

When a valid ECDRP submission is made within five days of a CHMP positive opinion, the date of the CHMP positive opinion will be designated Day 0 of the ECDRP, and the MHRA will aim to determine the Great Britain MAA as soon as possible following submission of confirmation of the EC decision.

If approved, ORLADEYO would be the first oral, once-daily therapy in the United Kingdom to treat patients with HAE.

“The ECDRP provides an opportunity to accelerate the approval of ORLADEYO in the UK following approval by the European Commission. If approved, ORLADEYO will provide a much needed oral, once-daily option for many patients and we are excited to be a step closer to making this a reality for them,” said Jon Stonehouse, president and chief executive officer of BioCryst.

In October 2020, the MHRA granted ORLADEYO a positive scientific opinion through the Early Access to Medicines Scheme (EAMS). Under the EAMS, HAE patients in the UK aged 12 years and older have access to ORLADEYO for the routine prevention of recurrent attacks of HAE before the drug is granted marketing authorization by the MHRA.

In December 2020, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approved ORLADEYO in the U.S. In January 2021, ORLADEYO was approved by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) in Japan.

About ORLADEYO^™ (berotralstat)

ORLADEYO™ (berotralstat) is the first and only oral therapy designed specifically to prevent attacks of hereditary angioedema (HAE) in adults 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

INDICATION
ORLADEYO™ (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 use
The 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 INFORMATION
An 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 <12 years of age have not been established.

There are insufficient data available to inform drug-related risks with ORLADEYO use in pregnancy. There are no data on the presence of berotralstat in human milk, its effects on the breastfed infant, or its effects on milk production.

To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc. at 1-833-633-2279 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch.

Please see full Prescribing Information.

About BioCryst Pharmaceuticals

BioCryst Pharmaceuticals discovers novel, oral, small-molecule medicines that treat rare diseases in which significant unmet medical needs exist and an enzyme plays a key role in the biological pathway of the disease. Oral, once-daily ORLADEYO™ (berotralstat) is approved in the United States and Japan for the prevention of HAE attacks in adults and pediatric patients 12 years and older, and under regulatory review for approval in the European Union and United Kingdom. BioCryst has several ongoing development programs including BCX9930, an oral Factor D inhibitor for the treatment of complement-mediated diseases, BCX9250, an ALK-2 inhibitor for the treatment of fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva, and galidesivir, a potential treatment for Marburg virus disease and Yellow Fever. RAPIVAB^® (peramivir injection), a viral neuraminidase inhibitor for the treatment of influenza, has received regulatory approval in the U.S., Canada, Australia, Japan, Taiwan and Korea. Post-marketing commitments for RAPIVAB are ongoing. For more information, please visit the company’s website at www.biocryst.com.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements regarding BioCryst’s plans and expectations for ORLADEYO.  These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These statements reflect our current views with respect to future events and are based on assumptions and are subject to risks and uncertainties. Given these uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Some of the factors that could affect the forward-looking statements contained herein include: the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which could create challenges in all aspects of BioCryst’s business, including without limitation delays, stoppages, difficulties and increased expenses with respect to BioCryst’s and its partners’ development, regulatory processes and supply chains, negatively impact BioCryst’s ability to access the capital or credit markets to finance its operations, or have the effect of heightening many of the risks described below or in the documents BioCryst periodically files with the Securities and Exchange Commission; BioCryst’s ability to successfully implement its commercialization plans for, and to commercialize, ORLADEYO, which could take longer or be more expensive than planned; the commercial viability of ORLADEYO, including its ability to achieve market acceptance; the FDA, EMA, MHRA, PMDA or other applicable regulatory agency may require additional studies beyond the studies planned for products and product candidates, may not provide regulatory clearances which may result in delay of planned clinical trials, may impose certain restrictions, warnings, or other requirements on products and product candidates, may impose a clinical hold with respect to product candidates, or may withhold, delay, or withdraw market approval for products and product candidates; BioCryst’s ability to successfully manage its growth and compete effectively; risks related to the international expansion of BioCryst’s business; and actual financial results may not be consistent with expectations, including that operating expenses and cash usage may not be within management's expected ranges.  Please refer to the documents BioCryst files periodically with the Securities and Exchange Commission, specifically BioCryst’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and Current Reports on Form 8-K, all of which identify important factors that could cause the actual results to differ materially from those contained in BioCryst’s forward-looking statements.

BCRXW

Contact:
Investors
John Bluth
+1 919 859 7910
jbluth@biocryst.com

Media
Catherine Collier Kyroulis
+1 917 886 5586
ckyroulis@biocryst.com 

FAQ

What is the recent news about BioCryst Pharmaceuticals (BCRX)?

BioCryst has submitted a marketing authorization application for ORLADEYO in the UK.

What does ORLADEYO treat and who is it for?

ORLADEYO is designed for the prevention of hereditary angioedema attacks in patients aged 12 and older.

When is the decision expected for the ORLADEYO application in the UK?

The decision on the marketing authorization application is expected in the second quarter of 2021.

Is ORLADEYO approved in other countries?

Yes, ORLADEYO has been approved in the U.S. and Japan.