8 Jan 2018 07:00
AIM: AMYT
ESM: AYP
Amryt Pharma plc
("Amryt" or the "Company")
Distribution Agreement Signed in Switzerland
Amryt, a biopharmaceutical company focused on rare and orphan diseases, is pleased to announce that it has signed an exclusive distributor agreement for Lojuxta® (lomitapide) in Switzerland. The agreement is with RCC Pharma AG ("RCC"), a leading Swiss pharmaceutical company with expertise in early access programs in rare and orphan diseases.
Lojuxta is a treatment for Homozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia ("HoFH"), a rare, life-limiting disease, which impairs the body's ability to remove LDL cholesterol ("bad" cholesterol) from the blood. Starting before birth, the disease progresses rapidly, and typically results in extremely high blood LDL cholesterol levels, which leads to aggressive and premature narrowing and blocking of blood vessels. Left untreated, heart attack or sudden death may occur in childhood or early adulthood.
The Company currently estimates that there are approximately 15 patients with HoFH in Switzerland. It has received requests from clinicians for access to Lojuxta for Swiss patients and this agreement will now enable Amryt to respond more effectively to such requests. The new agreement follows a distribution agreement, announced on 13 November, which covers Amryt's products for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Amryt acquired exclusive marketing rights for Lojuxta in the European Economic Area, Switzerland, Middle East, North Africa, Turkey and Israel in December 2016.
Dr. Joe Wiley, Chief Executive Officer of Amryt Pharma, said:
"This new distribution agreement with RCC marks another key step as we expand our footprint for Lojuxta across Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. RCC is a leading Swiss company with particular expertise in rare diseases, and this agreement will help us to bring Lojuxta to patients suffering from HoFH in Switzerland.
"We continue to work on further partnerships across our licensed territories for Lojuxta, and look forward to announcing further developments."
Enquiries:
Amryt Pharma plc | C/o KTZ Communications (details below) |
Joe Wiley, CEO Rory Nealon, CFO/COO |
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Shore Capital | +44 (0) 20 7408 4090 |
Nomad and Joint Broker |
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Edward Mansfield, Mark Percy
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Davy | +353 (1) 679 6363 |
ESM Adviser and Joint Broker |
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John Frain, Anthony Farrell
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Stifel | +44 (0) 20 7710 7600 |
Joint Broker |
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Jonathan Senior, Ben Maddison
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KTZ Communications | +44 (0) 20 3178 6378 |
Katie Tzouliadis, Irene Bermont-Penn, Emma Pearson |
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About Amryt Pharma plc
(www.amrytpharma.com)
Amryt Pharma is a specialty biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and delivering innovative new treatments to help improve the lives of patients with rare or orphan diseases. The Company is building a diversified portfolio of commercially attractive, best-in-class, proprietary new drugs to help address some of these rare and debilitating illnesses for which there are currently no available treatments.
The Company holds an exclusive licence to sell Lojuxta (lomitapide) for adults, across the European Economic Area, Middle East and North Africa, Turkey and Israel. Lojuxta is used to treat a rare life-threatening disease called Homozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia, which impairs the body's ability to remove LDL cholesterol ("bad" cholesterol) from the blood. This typically results in extremely high blood LDL cholesterol levels, leading to aggressive and premature narrowing and blocking of arterial blood vessels. If left untreated, heart attack or sudden death may occur in childhood or early adulthood.
Amryt's lead drug candidate, AP101, is a potential treatment for Epidermolysis Bullosa ("EB"), a rare and distressing genetic skin disorder affecting young children for which there is currently no treatment. It is currently in Phase 3 clinical trials. The global market opportunity for EB is estimated to be in excess of EUR 1.3 billion.
Amryt's earlier stage product AP102 is focused on developing novel, next generation somatostatin analogue ("SSA") peptide medicines for patients with rare neuroendocrine diseases, where there is a high unmet medical need, including acromegaly and Cushing's disease.
The Company joined AIM and Dublin's ESM in April 2016 following the reverse takeover of Fastnet Equity PLC.
About RCC Pharma AG
(www.rcc-pharma.com)
RCC Pharma is a global pharmaceutical company providing services to improve the lives of patients. Headquartered in Switzerland since 1993, RCC Pharma focuses on early access programs and product development to a global network of doctors, hospitals and Government organizations.