EU approval for Ultomiris for adults with PNH

Alexion Pharmaceuticals’ (Nasdaq; ALXN) shares edged up almost 1% to $134.66 in after-hours trading on Wednesday, following the US drugmaker’s announcement that the European Commission had approved its rare blood disease drug Ultomiris (ravulizumab).

Ultomiris becomes the first and only long-acting C5 complement inhibitor administered every eight weeks - for the treatment of adult patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) with hemolysis with clinical symptoms indicative of high disease activity, and also for adult patients who are clinically stable after having been treated with Soliris (eculizumab) for at least the past six months.

The drug’s sales are expected to reach $1.66 billion by 2022, according to IBES data from Refinitiv. Ultomiris is expected to become the successor in PNH to Alexion's own Soliris.