BioCentury
ARTICLE | Company News

Ionis looks to Akcea for speedy launch of inotersen

March 16, 2018 5:12 PM UTC

With an eye toward a commercialization race in hereditary transthyretin (TTR) amyloidosis (hATTR), Ionis Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:IONS) granted its majority-owned subsidiary Akcea Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:AKCA) rights to inotersen on Thursday. While Ionis said on a conference call that many suitors were interested in the antisense candidate, including large pharmas and smaller rare disease companies, the company told BioCentury it believed Akcea would be able to launch the candidate faster.

Speed is of the essence, as inotersen's July 6 PDUFA date will be closely followed by an approval decision for patisiran (ALN-TTR02), an RNAi candidate from Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:ALNY), on Aug. 11. Both candidates target the TTR gene. Both are under Priority Review at FDA, and both have Orphan Drug designation. Both also are under EMA review and were granted accelerated assessment...