Dive Brief:
- Actelion plans to set Uptravi's annual per-patient price between $160,000 and $170,000, according to Chief Operating Officer Otto Schwarz speaking on a call.
- On December 22, 2015, the FDA approved Uptravi (selexipag) as an orally active treatment for patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The drug was approved to delay disease progression and reduce the risk of hospitalization in patients with PAH.
- Actelion has positioned Uptravi as second-line treatment for patients with moderate, mid-stage pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). This is a population of roughly 3,800 patients.
Dive Insight:
Actelion does not expect pushback from payers, as their forecasted price is cheaper than the inhaled prostacyclin therapies currently on the market. Note, however, two of the three available therapies, Veletri and Ventavis, are also marketed in some part by Actelion. Bayer co-markets Ventavis with Actelion.
The quoted price for Uptravi does not factor in discounts and rebates. Actelion has a major presence in the PAH market, stemming from previous success with the blockbuster drug Tracleer. With the addition of Uptravi to its portfolio, it's clear that Actelion plans to maintain a leadership position in this space.
According to the company's CEO, Jean-Paul Clozel, Actelion hopes to use the revenues garnered from Uptravi to help develop drugs outside of the PAH category.
Uptravi is expected to be a blockbuster in a robust therapeutic market, which Transparency Market Research has forecast will hit $5.19 billion by 2020.