KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa. — 25 July 2017
Global biotherapeutics leader CSL Behring today announced today that HAEGARDA® (C1 Esterase Inhibitor Subcutaneous [Human]) is now available in the United States. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved HAEGARDA on June 22, 2017 for routine prophylaxis to prevent hereditary angioedema (HAE) attacks in adolescent and adult patients. HAEGARDA is the first and only subcutaneous preventive treatment option for HAE in the United States.
At the approved dose of 60 IU/kg, HAEGARDA has been shown to reduce the number of HAE attacks by a median of 95 percent relative to placebo. Additionally, taking HAEGARDA reduced the use of rescue medication by a median of greater than 99 percent relative to placebo.
“Many patients experience the heavy burden of HAE attacks on their daily lives. Now, the HAE community has a new treatment option clinically proven to significantly reduce the frequency of HAE attacks,” said Donald Levy, M.D., Professor of Medicine and Assistant Allergy Training Director, University of California Irvine, and Board Certified Specialist in Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.
To support access to HAEGARDA for people living with HAE, CSL Behring offers HAEGARDA ConnectSM, a comprehensive support program that provides a range of resources and programs to assist with HAE and HAEGARDA education and information, financial assistance programs, nursing services, and reimbursement support.
“We’re proud to have helped advance care for the HAE community by offering the first subcutaneous prophylactic treatment option for patients,” said Bill Campbell, Senior Vice President and General Manager, North America, CSL Behring. “With the availability of HAEGARDA, patients affected by HAE and physicians at the frontlines of managing this debilitating condition have access to a new therapy with the potential to transform patients’ lives.”
“My family and I have experienced firsthand the difference that HAEGARDA can make, and I feel so hopeful and excited that the HAE community has access to this treatment,” said Tad Rockwell, a lifelong HAE sufferer who participated in the HAEGARDA clinical trial. “Since I started treatment with HAEGARDA, I’ve been able to move beyond the anticipation and fear of HAE attacks and start living my life again.”
The FDA granted CSL Behring seven years of orphan-drug exclusivity for HAEGARDA, and the Company’s exclusivity for marketing subcutaneous C1-INH to prevent HAE attacks will continue through June 22, 2024.
For more information about HAEGARDA, including the U.S. Prescribing Information, visit www.HAEGARDA.com.
About Hereditary Angioedema (HAE)
HAE is a rare and potentially life-threatening genetic condition that occurs in about 1 in 10,000 to 1 in 50,000 people. HAE is caused by deficient or dysfunctional C1-INH, a protein in the blood that helps to control inflammation. Inadequate amounts of properly functioning C1-INH can lead to the accumulation of fluid in body tissues, causing considerable swelling referred to as angioedema. HAE attacks can affect many parts of the body and can spread to multiple sites, including the face, abdomen, larynx, and extremities. Patients who have abdominal attacks of HAE can experience extreme pain, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting caused by swelling of the intestinal wall. HAE attacks that involve the face or throat can result in airway closure, asphyxiation and, if left untreated, death.
About HAEGARDA® (C1 Esterase Inhibitor Subcutaneous [Human])
HAEGARDA is a self-administered, plasma-derived concentrate of C1-esterase inhibitor and the only subcutaneous therapy approved in the United States for routine prophylaxis to prevent HAE attacks in adolescent and adult patients.
HAEGARDA targets the root cause of HAE by replacing deficient or dysfunctional natural C1-INH, restoring functional C1-INH levels to above 40 percent of normal levels, which is associated with reduced risk for HAE attacks. HAEGARDA is dosed individually based on body weight so that each patient can achieve functional C1-INH levels.
Indications and IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION About HAEGARDA
Indications
HAEGARDA®, C1 Esterase Inhibitor Subcutaneous (Human), is a plasma-derived concentrate of C1 Esterase Inhibitor (C1-INH) indicated for routine prophylaxis to prevent Hereditary Angioedema (HAE attacks in adolescent and adult patients. HAEGARDA is for subcutaneous use after reconstitution only.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
HAEGARDA®, C1 Esterase Inhibitor Subcutaneous (Human), is a plasma-derived concentrate of C1 Esterase Inhibitor (C1-INH) indicated for routine prophylaxis to prevent Hereditary Angioedema (HAE) attacks in adolescent and adult patients. HAEGARDA is for subcutaneous use after reconstitution only.
HAEGARDA is contraindicated in patients with a history of life-threatening hypersensitivity reactions, including anaphylaxis, to C1-INH preparations or their excipients.
Severe hypersensitivity reactions to HAEGARDA could occur. In such cases, discontinue administration and institute appropriate treatment. Epinephrine should be immediately available to treat hypersensitivity reactions.
At the recommended subcutaneous dose of HAEGARDA, no causal relationship to thromboembolic events (TEs) has been established. However, TEs have been reported with intravenous administration of C1-INH products, usually at high doses.
In clinical trials, adverse reactions observed in more than 4% of subjects treated with HAEGARDA were injection-site reactions, hypersensitivity, nasopharyngitis, and dizziness.
HAEGARDA is derived from human plasma. The risk of transmission of infectious agents, including viruses and, theoretically, the Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) agent and its variant (vCJD), cannot be completely eliminated.
Full HAEGARDA Prescribing Information can be found at www.HAEGARDA.com.
About CSL Behring
CSL Behring is a global biotherapeutics leader driven by its promise to save lives. Focused on serving patients’ needs by using the latest technologies, we develop and deliver innovative therapies that are used to treat coagulation disorders, primary immune deficiencies, hereditary angioedema, inherited respiratory disease, and neurological disorders. The company's products are also used in cardiac surgery, organ transplantation, burn treatment and to prevent hemolytic disease of the newborn.
CSL Behring operates one of the world's largest plasma collection networks, CSL Plasma. The parent company, CSL Limited (ASX:CSL), headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, employs nearly 20,000 people, delivering its life-saving therapies to people in more than 60 countries. For more information visit www.CSLBehring.com and follow us on www.Twitter.com/CSLBehring.
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