100-time U.S. Zeposia officially listed as the cheapest oral MS drug on the market in the United States!

In late March, THE NEW DRUG S1P RECEPTOR REGULATOR ZEPOSIA, AN ORAL DRUG FOR BMS, RECEIVED FDA APPROVAL, BUT THE COMPANY SAW NO IDEAL TIME TO RELEASE THE NEW CORONAVIRUS PNEUMONIA (COVID-19) OUTBREAK AT A TIME WHEN THE NEW CORONAVIRUS PNEUMONIA (COVID-19) OUTBREAK WAS SPREADING RAPIDLY.
now, the company thinks the time is ripe.
on Monday, BMS announced that Zeposia is officially listed, entering an already crowded MS market.
, the company believes Zeposia has some key advantages over its competitors.
one of the price advantages, Tina Deignan, head of immunology at BMS USA, told FiercePharma that the company has set Zeposia's annual wholesale purchase price (WAC) at $86,000, which is lower than Novartis's $885,000 equivalent of the competing mayzent, which itself is cheaper than Novartis's old drug, Gilenya.
, she says, Zeposia is now the least expensive oral MS drug on the market in the United States.
Zeposia's advantage is not just price, Tina Deignan says, the drug not only has the ability to solve the functional aspects of MS, but also to solve the ms-related cognitive problems that are not yet fully recognized.
in clinical trials, Zeposia has been shown to significantly reduce the annualized recurrence rate (ABR) of recurrent MS patients compared to Avonex, reducing The ABR to 0.17-0.18 at a dose of 1 mg.
additional analysis of cognitive processing speedalsoshows that Zeposia continues to improve cognitive awareness in more patients than Avonex.
Tina Deignan says simple, easy-to-start treatment is valuable at any time during the drug's life cycle.
this is especially important when social distance is needed during an outbreak.
, like other oral medications, patients need a full blood count before starting to take Zeposia.
, however, removing some of the other thresholds for initiation of treatment will help patients start treatment more quickly without having to visit a medical facility multiple times.
, Zeposia is the first and only S1P receptor regulator that does not require first dose observation. when
fda approval in late March, BMS announced that it would delay the listing of Zeposia due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
but now THAT COVID-19 is still in fashion, what has changed the mind of BMS? Tina Deignan said the APPROVAL came as the US was in the midst of a COVID-19 crisis.
doctors and patients at the time were still trying to determine the best way to see a doctor during the pandemic.
two months later, parts of the United States are beginning to develop abroad again.
in other regions, telemedicine is being started and running, and doctors are beginning to feel more comfortable with the remote approach.
now, BMS has assembled a sales team with experience in neurology and immunology, and the company's accumulated business capabilities allow for detailed face-to-face communication with customers as needed.
, while bringing Zeposia to market, and using the drug's immunomodulation mechanism, BMS is actively seeking to extend the treatment of indications to other inflammatory diseases.
Tuesday, the company said that The Phase III clinical study of Zeposia's treatment for moderate-to-severe ulcerative colitis has reached the primary endpoint and several critical secondary endpoints.
compared to placebo, Zeposia showed a statistically significant advantage as a induced therapy in the 10th week of induction therapy and as a maintenance therapy in clinical remission at the 52nd week of maintenance therapy.
currently, BMS is also in The Stage III Clinical Evaluation of Zeposia's treatment for moderate lysergic Crohn's disease.
Source: Bristol Myers Squibb's Zeposia launches into crowded MS market.