Novartis receives FDA approval for Fabhalta in PNH

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Fabhalta (iptacopan) as the first oral monotherapy for the treatment of adults with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH).

Discovered and developed by Swiss pharma giant Novartis (NOVN: VX), Fabhalta is a Factor B inhibitor that acts proximally in the alternative complement pathway of the immune system, providing comprehensive control of red blood cell (RBC) destruction within and outside the blood vessels (intra- and extravascular hemolysis [IVH and EVH]).

In clinical trials, treatment with Fabhalta increased hemoglobin levels (≥ 2 g/dL from baseline in the absence of RBC transfusions) in the majority of patients and in APPLY-PNH nearly all patients treated with Fabhalta did not receive blood transfusions.