Attention hereditary angioedema patients: preventative treatment is on the horizon!
Shire plc is one of the global leaders in rare disease research and pharmacology, and the group recently released positive results for a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled group clinical trial evaluating a potential new drug, lanadelumab, for the treatment and prevention of hereditary angioedema (HAE) attacks, which cause unexplained and severe swelling underneath the skin.
This study, which treated 125 patients of age 12 years or older, found that a significantly higher proportion of patients were attack-free during a 26-week trial period if they had been administered a lanadelumab regimen compared to placebo.
In fact, lanadelumab reduced monthly attack rate by a whopping 87%!
Lanadelumab is currently an investigational, fully human, “monoclonal antibody” that specifically binds and inhibits a type of plasma enzyme known as plasma kallikrein, but this drug is especially exciting because the available treatment for HAE currently includes only injections for acute attacks or short-acting intravenous infusions given two times a week.
Lanadelumab, on the other hand, could offer patients a longer lasting treatment option that need only been administered every four weeks. This drug would preventatively address the underlying cause of the HAE attacks, a novel approach compared to traditional HAE therapies.
After the encouraging data from this study, Shire plans on submitting a biologics license application for evaluation by the U.S. FDA by late 2017.
Hopefully, with its approval, patients living with HAE can live more independently and without the fear of an angioedema attack.
To find out more about hereditary angioedema (HAE), including symptoms and other treatment options, click here.
