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.
Pfizer Gets First Approval Of Arena’s Etrasimod, In Ulcerative Colitis
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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Pipeline Watch is a weekly snapshot of selected late-stage clinical trial events and approvals announced by pharmaceutical and biotech companies at medical and industry conferences, in financial and company presentations, and in company releases and statements.
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