In This Story
The successful results of a heart drug’s late-stage clinical trial have prompted Alnylam Pharmaceuticals’ stock to jump 35%, according to the Wall Street Journal.
In a study, the drug known as vutrisiran, which is in development for a heart condition called ATTR amyloidosis with cardiomyopathy, was found to result in a statistically significant reduction in mortality and recurrent cardiovascular events among all populations, the company announced.
According to the Wall Street Journal, approval of the drug to treat the condition, in which clumps of a deformed protein build up in the heart, would give Alnylam entrance into a multi-billion dollar market.
The drug is already on sale under the brand name Amvuttra for treatment of a related condition, the Journal reported.
“I’m thrilled by these overwhelmingly positive data from the HELIOS-B study, which suggest that vutrisiran has the potential to address the needs of patients with ATTR amyloidosis with cardiomyopathy, a steadily progressive, debilitating, and ultimately fatal disease,” Pushkal Garg, Alnylam’s chief medical officer, said in a statement. “We are moving with urgency to file these compelling data with regulators to bring this medicine to patients around the world.”
The study also demonstrated that the drug was safe and tolerable, with similar rates of adverse effects among patients given the drug and those given a placebo.
“Assuming favorable regulatory review, vutrisiran has the potential to become the new standard of care for the treatment of this disease, driving Alnylam’s next era of substantial growth,” Yvonne Greenstreet, chief executive officer of Alnylam, said in a statement.