Actelion's Opsumit for PAH shows reduction in morbidity and mortality

Swiss biotech firm Actelion (SIX: ATLN) has announced key morbidity and mortality data in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) for its investigational drug Opsumit (macitentan) at the European Respiratory Society Congress 2013.

Data from the landmark SERAPHIN study, shared during the congress in Barcelona, Spain, highlighted that Opsumit significantly reduced the risk of morbidity and mortality events in patients with PAH. The drug, which is under regulatory review in the USA and Europe, is seen as a replacement for Actelion’s current best-selling PAH drug Tracleer (bosentan), sales of which are declining due to competition in the USA and price pressures in other markets.

Reduction in morbidity