NHS England Rolls Out Evkeeza® ▼(evinacumab) for Eligible Adults and Adolescents Aged 12 Years and Older with Homozygous Familial Hypercholesterolaemia (HoFH)

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Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc.
Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc.

LONDON, Dec. 20, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc. (NASDAQ: RARE), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialisation of novel therapies for rare and ultrarare genetic diseases, today announced that NHS England has implemented the commissioning of Evkeeza (evinacumab) following the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) final guidance in September. The use of Evkeeza in eligible people aged 12 years and older will be routinely commissioned by NHS England in line with the NICE TA and will be available in seven hospital trusts in England. In addition, prior approval forms are in place to enable access for children aged 5 to 11 years, via the NHS England Commissioning Medicines for Children policy.

Dr. Jaimini Cegla, clinical lead of the Lipid and Cardiovascular Risk Service, Hammersmith Hospital said, "We are very pleased that NHS England has endorsed and implemented NICE recommendations for the use of evinacumab within the NHS. Our patients with HoFH often have early onset heart disease, in many cases in their teens, and many of the usual medicines we use to treat cholesterol have limited effectiveness in this condition. Evinacumab, which is effective at lowering LDL-C in HoFH when combined with other lipid-lowering therapies, is a much needed and very welcome addition to help us treat eligible patients as best we can.”

Eligible people living with HoFH in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will now have access to Evkeeza, the first approved and commercialised monoclonal antibody inhibiting the angiopoietin-like 3 protein (ANGPTL3).1 The seven commissioning providers in England include Bristol Teaching Hospital NHS Trust, Guy’s & St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle University Foundation Trust, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals and University Hospital Birmingham.

“NICE’s recognition of the clinical and economic benefits of Evkeeza including that it is a ‘cost-effective use of NHS resources’ paved the way for the NHS decision,” said David Nestor, Vice President and General Manager for the UK, Ireland and Nordics at Ultragenyx. “We are grateful to the physician and patient communities for their support as we worked to secure access for patients living with HoFH in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.”

"HEART UK is absolutely delighted that patients living with HoFH now have access to this treatment,” stated Jules Payne, Chief Executive Officer of HEART UK.