Bayer strengthens pharma CV portfolio with acoramidis: drug met primary endpoints for patients with rare form of cardiomyopathy(1)

  • Acquisition of exclusive commercialisation rights for European markets of acoramidis, a highly potent selective small molecule oral transthyretin stabiliser for transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR CM)1
  • ATTR CM is a rare, systemic, progressive condition that leads to heart failure with high mortality rates within four years of diagnosis2
  • Marketing authorisation application has been submitted to European Medicines Agency (EMA), to be followed by a Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) submission for the UK market
  • Strategic fit with Bayer’s cardiovascular portfolio and innovation strategy

Bayer has acquired the exclusive marketing rights for acoramidis in Europe from Eidos Therapeutics Inc., BridgeBio International GmbH and BridgeBio Europe B.V. Acoramidis is a highly potent and selective small molecule, orally administered transthyretin (TTR) stabiliser for the treatment of patients suffering from ATTR CM1, a rare, systemic, progressive and fatal condition that leads to heart failure and high rates of fatality within four years from diagnosis.2 In a placebo-controlled Phase III study in ATTR CM, acoramidis met all clinical endpoints by significantly reducing hospitalisation burden, improved survival and preserved functional capacity and quality of life for patients in need. Overall incidence of adverse events was similar in the acoramidis group and the placebo group.1

 

A marketing authorisation application (MAA) with the European Medicines Agency (EMA) was filed in January 2024, after announcing that acoramidis successfully met the primary endpoint in the pivotal Phase III trial, confirming statistically significant efficacy and good tolerability in the trial population.1 A New Drug Application (NDA) for acoramidis has also been submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and accepted with Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) action date of November 29, 2024.

 

“Bayer has a clear vision to transform cardiovascular care for patients and acoramidis complements our portfolio in specialty cardiology,” said Juergen Eckhardt, M.D., Member of the Executive Committee of Bayer’s Pharmaceuticals Division and Head of Business Development, Licensing & Open Innovation. “As a leading player in the field of cardiovascular diseases, we will work to make this new treatment available to patients as soon as possible, after a decision by the European authorities.”

 

“We are excited to have found a like-minded partner in Bayer that shares our belief in the potential of acoramidis to ameliorate the lives of ATTR CM patients. We have a responsibility to the ATTR CM community to make acoramidis available to as many patients as possible, as quickly as possible, and we believe that Bayer is the right collaborator for us in this mission,” said Ananth Sridhar, Senior Vice President of Corporate Development, BridgeBio Cardiorenal. “This partnership leverages Bayer’s established European cardiovascular infrastructure and enables us, via substantial cost savings, to focus our resources on our wholly-owned geographies for acoramidis, including preparing for the US launch.”

 

Under the terms of the agreement, BridgeBio and the affiliates will receive up to USD 310 million in upfront and near-term milestone payments and are eligible to receive additional undisclosed sales milestone payments and tiered-royalties beginning in the low-thirties percent.

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Bayer UK Media Contact:                    Contact for investor inquiries:

UK: Hayley Wood                                  Bayer Investor Relations Team, phone +49 214 30-72704

E-mail: hayley.wood@bayer.com           Email: ir@bayer.com

Mobile: +44 (0)7425 611965                  www.bayer.com/en/investors/ir-team

 

 

Notes to Editors:

 

About ATTR CM

ATTR CM is a progressive and fatal disease in older adults, characterised by the deposition of misfolded monomeric TTR in the heart caused by aging or mutations of the TTR gene. It results in an infiltrative, restrictive cardiomyopathy leading to heart failure, usually with preserved ejection fraction. The disease is often diagnosed late, when the accumulation of amyloid fibrils in the heart has already occurred, and patients are symptomatic. Once diagnosed, ATTR CM patients have a median survival of 3-4 years if left untreated.2,3

 

About Acoramidis

Acoramidis is an investigational, next-generation, orally administered, highly potent small molecule stabiliser of TTR.1 The US FDA has accepted BridgeBio’s NDA for acoramidis for the treatment of ATTR CM with a PDUFA action date of November 29, 2024; additionally, the EMA has accepted the MAA for acoramidis with potential EU decision planned for 2025 (including Republic of Ireland). After this, a submission will be made to the MHRA for UK marketing authorisation.  

 

About Bayer’s Commitment in Cardiovascular Diseases

Bayer is a leader in cardiology and is advancing a portfolio of innovative treatments in cardiovascular (CV) diseases of high unmet medical need. The strategy is to unlock the strong potential of the future CV market by transforming Bayer’s portfolio into precision cardiology, addressing the high CV disease burden, and driving long-term growth. Bayer’s portfolio already includes several innovative products and compounds in various stages of preclinical and clinical development.4

 

About Bayer

Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. Its products and services are designed to help people and the planet thrive by supporting efforts to master the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. Bayer is committed to driving sustainable development and generating a positive impact with its businesses. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. The Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2022, the Group employed around 101,000 people and had sales of 50.7 billion euros. R&D expenses before special items amounted to 6.2 billion euros. For more information, go to www.bayer.co.uk.

 

Forward-Looking Statements  

This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer’s public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.co.uk. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

 

 

References: 

1.     Gilmore J, et al. Efficacy and Safety of Acoramidis in Transthyretin Amyloid Cardiomyopathy. N Engl J Med 2024; 390:132-142.

2.     Lauppe RE, et al. Nationwide prevalence and characteristics of transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy in Sweden. Open Heart. 2021;(2):e001755.

3.     Grogan M, Scott CG, Kyle RA, Zeldenrust SR, Gertz MA, Lin G, Klarich KW, Miller WL, Maleszewski JJ, Dispenzieri A. Natural History of Wild-Type Transthyretin Cardiac Amyloidosis and Risk Stratification Using a Novel Staging System. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2016;68:1014–20.

4.     Bayer data on file.