UK’s drug-cost watchdog recommends Alnylam’s heart disease drug

(Reuters) -The UK’s drug cost-effectiveness watchdog has recommended Alnylam Pharmaceuticals’ heart disease drug, ensuring access for patients through the government health system in England and Wales, the company said on Friday.

The country’s drug regulator had approved the injectable drug, Amvuttra, in July to treat ATTR-CM, a condition where faulty transthyretin proteins accumulate in the heart, potentially causing the organ to fail. It is also approved to treat nerve damage related to the disease.

Analysts have pointed to the drug’s potential to become the new standard of care in ATTR-CM for its ability to reduce the production of the disease-causing protein at its source, unlike rival Pfizer’s Vyndaqel and BridgeBio’s Attruby, which stabilize transthyretin production.

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