Shire boosted by new US drug approval

FTSE 100 pharmaceuticals manufacturer Shire (LON:SHR) saw its shares rise by 2.16% to 4,518p after its Takhzyro treatment received approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration. The medication is approved for patients suffering from hereditary angioedema, a rare and potentially life-threatening disorder that can cause swelling throughout the body. During phase III trials, the treatment reduced the number of attacks by 87% relative to the placebo.

Andreas Busch, Shire’s Head of Research and Development, commented: “With the approval of TAKHZYRO, HAE patients have an innovative treatment that works differently than current options to help prevent attacks. Based on an exploratory and post hoc analysis, after six doses of TAKHZYRO 300 mg every two weeks, 77% or nearly 8 of 10 patients had zero attacks. This approval reinforces our ongoing commitment to developing novel therapies that have a meaningful impact on patients.“