FDA approves Sanofi's Cablivi for rare clotting disease

Sanofi (Euronext:SAN; NASDAQ:SNY) said FDA approved Cablivi caplacizumab-yhdp to treat acquired thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (aTTP), making it the first FDA-approved therapy for the rare blood clotting disorder. Sanofi will launch the drug late this quarter at a wholesale acquisition cost of $270,000 per aTTP episode.

The therapy, which was a key component of Sanofi's acquisition of Ablynx N.V. last year, was developed via Ablynx’s Nanobody platform, with which the company creates therapeutic proteins based on a single-domain antibody fragment. Cablivi is a Nanobody targeting von Willebrand factor (vWF) (see "Road to Acquisition")...