BMS' Orencia approved to prevent acute graft versus host disease

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Orencia (abatacept) alongside a calcineurin inhibitor and methotrexate to prevent acute graft versus host disease in patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplant from a matched or 1 allele-mismatched unrelated donor.

This approval marks the fourth indication for Orencia in the USA, which is sold by the US pharma major Bristol Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY).

"BMS draws on its legacy and expertise in both immunology and hematology to deliver an important treatment option for patients in a disease with high unmet need"Tina Deignan, senior vice president, US Immunology, BMS, said: “Orencia is the first FDA-approved therapy to prevent acute graft versus host disease following hematopoietic stem cell transplant, a potentially life-threatening complication that can pose a comparatively higher risk to racial and ethnic minority populations in the USA due to difficulty finding appropriately matched donors.