BioMarin’s $1m Gene Therapy Roctavian Hits Payer Problems In Germany

Doubts About Blockbuster Prospects Linger

BioMarin has yet to treat a patient with Roctavian, the first ever hemophilia A gene therapy, eight months after its first approval in Europe, as pricing delays cloud its commercial prospects.

Brisbane, CA, USA - Mar 1, 2020: The BioMarin logo seen at American biotechnology company BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc.'s office in Brisbane, California.
• Source: Shutterstock

BioMarin has hit a serious delay to agreeing a price for its hemophilia A gene therapy, Roctavian, in Germany, the product’s first global launch market.

The company gained a conditional marketing approval from the European Medicines Agency for Roctavian (valoctocogene roxaparvovec) on 24 August last year,

More from Business

Deal Watch: Lilly Looks To Creyon For Oligonucleotides

 
• By 

Plus deals involving J&J/Addex/Sinntaxis, Concentra/Kronos, Granata/Oviva, Coeptis/Z Squared, Ligand/Channel and more.

BioNTech Aims To Diversify BNT323 Manufacturing As Filing Nears

 

The company plans to expand manufacturing of the HER2-targeting ADC beyond China and plans to file for US FDA approval in 2025.

Accelerated Approval May Be Out Of Reach For PTC’s Huntington’s Drug

 
• By 

PTC said its updated Phase II data for PTC 518 met the primary endpoint of Huntingtin’s protein reduction, but analysts said there isn’t clear correlation with clinical benefit.

Finance Watch: Unity Lays Off All Employees As It Evaluates Alternatives

 
• By 

Restructuring Edition: Unity unveiled more Phase IIb data for lead asset UBX1325 along with plans to shed its workforce while seeking a partner for it and other drugs. Also, Ono is consolidating US employees at one site, Entrada is cutting its workforce by 20% and other recent strategic shifts.

More from Scrip

Finance Watch: Unity Lays Off All Employees As It Evaluates Alternatives

 
• By 

Restructuring Edition: Unity unveiled more Phase IIb data for lead asset UBX1325 along with plans to shed its workforce while seeking a partner for it and other drugs. Also, Ono is consolidating US employees at one site, Entrada is cutting its workforce by 20% and other recent strategic shifts.

In Brief: Genmab To Seek FDA Nod For Epkinly In Lymphoma

 

Genmab will submit an sBLA for Epkinly in R/R follicular lymphoma in H1 2025, backed by positive Phase III data.

Pharma Predicts Modest Impact From Tariffs, But It Depends On What Comes Next

 

Drugmakers aren’t expecting a big financial hit from tariffs for now, but a report commissioned by PhRMA suggests the cost of pharma-sector tariffs could be steep.