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Voxelotor: First Approval

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Abstract

Voxelotor (Oxbryta™) is a haemoglobin S polymerization inhibitor that has been developed for the treatment of sickle cell disease. In November 2019, voxelotor received its first global approval in the USA for the treatment of sickle cell disease in adults and paediatric patients aged ≥ 12 years. The drug was granted accelerated approval based on the results of the phase III HOPE trial. Phase III clinical development of voxelotor for sickle cell disease is ongoing worldwide. Voxelotor also has Orphan Drug designation and Priority Medicine status in Europe for the treatment of sickle cell disease. This article summarizes the milestones in the development of voxelotor leading to this first approval as a disease-modifying agent for sickle cell disease.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Springer Nature, Private Bag 65901, Mairangi Bay, Auckland, 0754, New Zealand

    Hannah A. Blair

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  1. Hannah A. Blair
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Correspondence to Hannah A. Blair.

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Funding

The preparation of this review was not supported by any external funding.

Conflict of interest

During the peer review process the manufacturer of the agent under review was offered an opportunity to comment on the article. Changes resulting from any comments received were made by the authors on the basis of scientific completeness and accuracy. Hannah A. Blair is a salaried employee of Adis International Ltd/Springer Nature, is responsible for the article content and declares no relevant conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Enhanced material for this AdisInsight Report can be found at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.11658999.

This profile has been extracted and modified from the AdisInsight database. AdisInsight tracks drug development worldwide through the entire development process, from discovery, through pre-clinical and clinical studies to market launch and beyond.

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Blair, H.A. Voxelotor: First Approval. Drugs 80, 209–215 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40265-020-01262-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40265-020-01262-7

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