ULTOMIRIS (ravulizumab-cwvz) approved in the US for the treatment of adults with neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD)

ULTOMIRIS (ravulizumab-cwvz) has been approved in the United States (US) as the first and only long-acting C5 complement inhibitor for the treatment of adult patients with anti-aquaporin-4 (AQP4) antibody-positive (Ab+) neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD).¹

The approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was based on positive results from the CHAMPION-NMOSD Phase III trial, which were published in the Annals of Neurology.² In the trial, ULTOMIRIS was compared to an external placebo arm from the pivotal SOLIRIS PREVENT clinical trial.

ULTOMIRIS met the primary endpoint of time to first on-trial relapse as confirmed by an independent adjudication committee. Zero relapses were observed among ULTOMIRIS patients with a median treatment duration of 73 weeks (relapse risk reduction: 98.6%, hazard ratio (95% CI): 0.014 (0.000, 0.103), p<0.0001).²

NMOSD is a rare and debilitating autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system (CNS), including the spine and optic nerves.^3-5 Most people living with NMOSD experience unpredictable relapses, characterized by a new onset of neurologic symptoms or worsening of existing neurologic symptoms, which tend to be severe and recurrent and may result in permanent disability.^6-8 The diagnosed prevalence of adults with NMOSD in the US is estimated at approximately 6,000.^9-11

Sean J. Pittock, MD, Director of Mayo Clinic's Center for Multiple Sclerosis and Autoimmune Neurology and of Mayo's Neuroimmunology Laboratory and lead primary investigator in the CHAMPION-NMOSD trial, said: “C5 inhibition has been proven to offer efficacy in reducing the risk of NMOSD relapses by blocking the complement system, a part of the immune system, from attacking healthy cells in the spinal cord, optic nerve and brain. With today’s FDA approval, patients now have the option of a long-acting C5 inhibitor treatment that showed zero relapses in the pivotal CHAMPION-NMOSD trial, supporting the primary goal of relapse prevention in treating NMOSD.”

Marc Dunoyer, Chief Executive Officer, Alexion, said: “Alexion has been at the forefront of innovation in NMOSD, striving to offer patients a future without fear of life-altering or even fatal relapses. Building on the established efficacy of C5 inhibition for people living with AQP4 Ab+ NMOSD, we are proud to deliver a transformative, long-acting treatment option that has the potential to eliminate relapses with a convenient dosing schedule every eight weeks. We are grateful to the NMOSD community for their ongoing collaboration and input, which enables us to advance science for rare diseases.”