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Pfizer Gets First Approval Of Arena’s Etrasimod, In Ulcerative Colitis

 
• By Joseph Haas

Branded as Velsipity, the S1P modulator will compete directly against classmate Zeposia in UC and faces a crowded field of anti-TNFs and other types of therapy. Pfizer paid $6.7bn for Arena in 2021.

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Approval of Velsipity potentially gives Pfizer a successor to Xeljanz in IBD

With the US Food and Drug Administration’s approval on 13 October of Velsipity (etrasimod) for moderate to severely active ulcerative colitis (UC), Pfizer Inc. has an approved oral therapy to position in the inflammatory bowel disease arena as its JAK inhibitor, Xeljanz (tofacitinib), faces patent expiration in 2025, and the big pharma gets some validation of the $6.7bn price it paid for Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in 2021.

Key Takeaways

  • Pfizer obtained FDA approval of Velsipity, an S1P modulator, in the busy ulcerative colitis space, where it will compete directly with Bristol’s Zeposia.

Etrasimod, a daily, selective sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) receptor modulator, was the centerpiece of the Pfizer’s takeout of Arena and is also...

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