Novartis Scores With Orphan Drug

FDA has approved Novartis’ BYM338 (bimagrumab), an antibody therapy for sporadic inclusion body myositis (sIBM), a rare muscle-wasting disease. Novartis codeveloped the therapy with MorphoSys. Bimagrumab is a fully human monoclonal antibody that binds with high affinity to type II activin receptors, stimulating muscle growth by blocking signaling from inhibitory molecules such as myostatin and activin. “With no effective therapies currently available for sIBM, bimagrumab has the potential to be the first real option for patients with this condition,” says Timothy Wright, Novartis’ head of pharmaceutical development.