The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has finally given green signal to NPS Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NPSP) for its drug Natpara to treat a severe hormone condition called hypoparathyroidism.
According to the company, Natpara is a hormonal injection that shows promising results in regulating calcium levels.
The pharma company is expecting to bring the drug in the market during the second quarter.
Announcing its first major deal, pharma company Shire PLC had earlier this month announced a USD 5.2 billion agreement to buy NPS. In October, AbbVie Inc. has made a failed attempt to acquire Shire.
NPS, of Bedminster, holds specialization in bringing rare-disease drugs. One of its Gattex injections helps in treating a potentially fatal bowel disorder that cuts the ability of human body to absorb fluids and nutrients.
Gattex costing USD 376,200 per year had generated USD 67.9 million in sales during the first nine months of 2014. NPS generated USD 157.4 million in total revenue during the mentioned period.
Despite a small number of patients, the rare-disease treatment market is considered attractive as the involved companies can command prices in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The market analysts are expecting that the company will receive a remarkable boost in its sales from Natpara, which Canaccord Genuity estimates to notch approximately USD 275 million in world-wide sales in 2018.
NPS had in October last year said that the Food and Drug Administration extended the Natpara action date to January 2015 from October. The European Medicines Agency has approved sales of the NPS drug in December last year.
