Novartis has a long way to go to make its twice-yearly cholesterol-lowering drug Leqvio the multi-billion-dollar blockbuster it is predicting – but took another step along that road today.
AstraZeneca has taken the decision not to move a PCSK9-targeting antisense drug licensed from Ionis into a phase 3 programme, removing a competitor to Novartis' rival therapy Leqvio.
Verve Therapeutics has started dosing patients in a phase 1b trial of its in vivo gene-editing drug for high cholesterol, designed to permanently switch off the PCSK9 gene with a one-shot t
At its second attempt, Novartis has won FDA approval for its cholesterol lowering drug inclisiran, which can reduce levels with just two injections a year.
Novartis' cholesterol-lowering drug Leqvio will be made available on the NHS in England and Wales, and could help to prevent up to 30,000 deaths, according to NICE.
Otsuka is hoping to file for approval of its anti-APRIL antibody sibeprenlimab as a treatment for kidney disorder IgA nephropathy (IgAN) after the drug hit the target in a phase 3 trial.