(Bloomberg) -- Pfizer Inc.’s Hympavzi won US approval to treat hemophilia, a potentially deadly genetic disorder that prevents blood from clotting properly.
The once-weekly injection prevents or reduces the frequency of bleeding episodes that can do long-term damage to patients, Pfizer said in a statement. The drug, the first in a new class of medicines for the condition, costs $795,600 annually, the company said.
Hympavzi is approved for patients aged 12 and older with hemophilia A or B who haven’t developed antibodies to previous treatment, called inhibitors. It may be more convenient for those with hemophilia B, who usually require regular infusions of proteins called factor IX that boost blood clotting.
Pfizer has been trying to find new products to replace fading sales of its drugs and vaccines for Covid-19. Earlier this year, the company won approval for another hemophilia B treatment called Beqvez — the drugmaker’s first foray into gene therapy.
Overall, the commercial potential for Hympavzi is “modest,” TD Cowen analysts wrote in a note prior to the approval. It’s unlikely to compete with Roche Holding AG’s Hemlibra in hemophilia A, but could “carve out a niche in hemophilia B,” they said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that as many as 33,000 males in the US have hemophilia, which hits them harder and in larger numbers. Hemophilia A is three to four times more common than hemophilia B, according to the agency.
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