Novo Nordisk preps filings for sickle cell drug etavopivat

Novo Nordisk is planning to move ahead with regulatory filings for etavopivat, potentially a first-in-class therapy for sickle cell disease, based on positive results in a phase 3 trial.

In the HIBISCUS trial, oral PKR activator etavopivat showed a 27% reduction in the annualised rate of vaso-occlusive crisis (VOC) events – the excruciatingly painful attacks that occur in SCD patients when red blood cells become misshapen and block blood vessels – compared to placebo when added to standard treatment.