Strong data on Actelion's Uptravi presented at ACC 2015

Swiss biotech firm Actelion (SIX: ATLN) yesterday presented much anticipated positive key long-term outcome data from the pivotal selexipag (trade name Uptravi) Phase III GRIPHON study at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) Congress in San Diego. The news led to a 2.8% rise to 117.40 Swiss francs in the firm’s share price in mid-morning trading today.

The presentation highlighted that the investigational drug selexipag significantly reduced the risk of a morbidity/mortality event by 40% versus placebo (p<0.0001) in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The presentation was given by Vallerie McLaughlin, director of the Pulmonary Hypertension Program in the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Michigan, USA, and Steering Committee member of the GRIPHON study.

Uptravi is seen as a replacement for Actelion's mainstay PAH drug Tracleer (bosentan), which currently accounts for around 80% of the firm's sales, but loses patent protection next year. Analysts at Barclays estimate peak sales for the new drug at about 2 billion Swiss francs ($2.11 billion). Tracleer sales were 1.48 billion francs for 2014.